


Cardinal King

by kyralih



Series: Cardinal King [1]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Manga), Sailor Moon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Humor, Drama & Romance, F/M, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 00:16:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 87,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1961649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyralih/pseuds/kyralih
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the reversed story of Sailor Moon centering on Mamoru Chiba, aka Cardinal King, and his four Heavenly Kings as they search for the Earth Prince and the Golden Crystal. Aided by Helios and a mysterious figure named Jewel Tiara, they fight against an evil Queen and her four senshi henchmen, who also search for the Golden Crystal so that they could use it to unleash an ancient evil force to take over Earth once and for all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pyrite Power, Transform! A masked super hero?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! ^^ I'm Kyralih, and this is my first-ever fully-completed fanfiction, Cardinal King. It mirrors the manga pretty closely, to a point (hahah THEN THINGS WENT WAY OFF BASE) and I hope you enjoy reading it! It was originally posted on tumblr (kyralih.tumblr.com/fanfiction) and on fanfiction.net/~kyralih along with all my other works-in-progress, but I finally decided to add it to AO3 after the latest run-through with editing. XD the editing process is still ongoing and if you catch anything, please message me and tell me what and where so I can fix it! ♥
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story!

Chiba Mamoru, 17 years old, second year high school student at Azabu high school in Tokyo Japan, stood in line for the bus stop. In one hand was a textbook, opened easily in his palm for him to skim through his sunglasses; in the other hand was his schoolbag, hanging over his shoulder easily as he waited. Balancing the book's spine on his middle finger, he used his thumb to turn the page in a practiced manner, barely noticing the effort. As the bus came down the street he thought he heard the tinkling of bells; finding the crisp, clean sound out-of-place in the bustling city, he looked up from the pages to glance around the street, and saw, for a split second, the strangest thing he had ever seen in his entire life: a winged white unicorn.

What the hell? He blinked, his brows furrowing as he wondered just what was going on, but there it was, still there. It was small, like the size of a cat, and floated five feet off the ground in a blue bubble: a white horse with wings and a tiny golden horn on its head. In a second the bus rolled further down the street, obstructing his view, but the in three-second timespan between seeing the oddity and losing it to the bus, he was fairly certain that it hadn't been a figment of his imagination, but, beyond that, anything was possible.

He stepped onto the bus and swiped his student ID badge to use the school credit line, and quickly moved to the opposite side to look out the window to see the strange site again, but nothing was there. He visually swept through the entire area, from the flower shop to the bakery, moving to see behind things as far as he could, even sitting up a bit to see into the nearby gutter, but the blue bubble and it's odd occupant were gone.

Deciding that from then on he would make sure to eat breakfast, Mamoru sat down and stared at his book, wondering what could have caused such vivid hallucinations.

Later that day, Chiba Mamoru left the locker room dressed in his school clothing, bag in hand yet again, and waved to other members of the soccer team as they broke for home. Practice had gone well, and the team was shaping up nicely; he felt strongly that they could win their next match, so long as the new goalie, Midori, continued to show up for practice. Mamoru had his reservations; the transfer student had long, wavy brown hair and a snarky attitude, and no matter what kind of skill the guy had with blocking the net, if he let that pride get the better of him the team was doomed to fail. … and the way he kept asking about the closest public school and the best place to find girls, Mamoru had an inkling that Midori's pride and ego might rank higher than the good of the team.

When he got home he had a quick dinner, completed his homework, and read through the required readings for the day, writing down questions as he read and using the material to create an answer. When he finished it was nearly 22:00. He stretched, showered, brushed his teeth and put his pajamas on, then went about his small apartment turning off the lights. Leaving the curtains open to see the beautiful full moon, he climbed into bed, reached over, and shut off his bedroom light. As the lamplight faded suddenly and the moonlight overtook the apartment, Mamoru suddenly found himself face to face with a horse.

The noise he made was one that he had never made before. It was a mix of a scream, a shout, and a grunt, made as he jumped backwards into the wall and the windowsill bit into his spine. Arching in pain, he nevertheless didn't miss an opportunity to grab the closest thing and toss it in the face of the strange intruder; as the horse stepped back and shook its head to free itself from the pillow, Mamoru tried to launch himself off of his bed and across the room, but was foiled by the sharp pain in his back, and merely stumbled off of his mattress and into his dresser. "Stay ba—" the word froze in his throat as he spied the long, cruel-looking golden horn on the beast's head, glinting threateningly in the silver light of the moon. Steadying himself, he grabbed his umbrella and positioned it before him like a sword, then he tried again, "Stay back, Horse, or I swear you'll be glue by morning!"

The great beast turned to look at him with one red eye, and a voice suddenly invaded his thoughts. " _Mighty threat, Umbrella-Man._  " The intonation was masculine and deadpan – clearly the creature was making fun of him, but Mamoru refused to stand down, tightening his grip on the handle. It tossed its mane in a way familiar to someone rolling their eyes, and then spoke again, " _Listen, we don't really have time for this, so put the umbrella down, Chiba Mamoru; people are in danger and_ ** _you_** _have to help them._ "

He stood his ground. "How do you know my name?"

" _It's not that hard, you leave your ID everywhere. And your name is on your homework on your desk. But really, we have absolutely no time— "_

"How did you get in here?"

" _The window. Now will you just— "_

"Why are you here?"

" _Well I had hoped to SAVE THE LIVES OF HELPLESS CITIZENS, but you're making it rather DIFFICULT!_   _"_ Suddenly wide white wings unfurled from the back of the stallion, and it advanced at breakneck speed, pinning its horn in the wall just shy of Mamoru's ear, his red eyes even with Mamoru's. " _Questions are for later, Heavenly King, now take this pendant –"_  a golden pendant was suddenly in his hand, in place of the umbrella that had been knocked aside uselessly. " _and yell "Pyrite Power Transform"_   _"_

He was about to object and it was probably obvious, because the red eyes of the mythical beast whirled in his head. …and it was just then that Mamoru realized he was dreaming. He probably fell asleep as soon as he lied down on the bed. Clearly the hallucination from earlier had been prominent in his psyche and it manifested itself in a dream sequence. And in  _that_  case, it would be interesting to see what this imaginary unicorn/Pegasus thing had planned for him; he was actually rather glad it was a lucid dream, this could be another one for his journal. So instead of speaking out, he repeated the phrase.

"Pyrite Power, Transform!"

As the words left his lips he felt a warm sensation rush over him, and his pajamas were suddenly gone, replaced with a blue-gray suit. The long sleeved jacket was piped in golden material and fastened asymmetrically on his right using the pin the horse had given him, and had a high collar and lower hem, like a tunic from old European fashion. At his waist was a black belt that matched the material of his knee-high boots – flexible and non-reflective, topped with a folded layer of boot material to make a flat line. His vision was ringed in gold; he pulled away from the golden horn to glance in the mirror, suspicions of some sort of eye gear confirmed when he came face-to-face with himself wearing a golden-colored mask. "Not too subtle, is this?" he asked, looking back at the horse.

" _Shut up and follow me._  " The horse turned, shrinking in size as he did so, and nodded towards the window above his bed. It opened immediately, his sheer curtains wafting in the cool night air. Mamoru's eyes widened as the horse, then no bigger than a house cat, jumped right out the window. He rushed to stick his head out into the night, peering over his short window sill to the dark streets below, but the Pegasus was nowhere in sight. He glanced up, wondering if it had flown higher, but above him was only the stars and the moon. " _WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?_  "

Mamoru started backwards, the white horse's face suddenly right in front of him, his red eyes angry. Defensively, he replied, "Well it's easier said than done!" He approached the window boldly, kneeling on his bed to face the beast eye-to-eye.

" _Just jump!"_

Mamoru's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what it meant; "What, do I jump on your back or something?"

" _No! Of course not!_   _"_ he sounded indignant, almost insulted, as his wings beat to move him farther away. " _Just jump!"_

"What, right now?"

" _Would you prefer a formal invitation? YES NOW!"_

He looked down, the ground nearly eight stories below. "You're crazy!"

" _Don't be such a wuss! Jump! We're running out of time!"_

Frowning, he climbed up into the windowsill, holding the side of the window for balance as his boots scraped against the concrete. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this. He stood shakily, looking down, reminding himself that it was only a dream.

" _Any time now._ "

"Just shut up!" he retorted, then took a deep breath, trying to ignore the white jerk flying just a few feet away, and jumped as if trying for the next roof top. He fell. As the wind rushed past him he felt a weight on his shoulders, but wasn't as concerned with that as he was the concrete street rushing up to meet him. If this were real, he mused, I would easily break both legs. Probably in multiple places. Instead his feet hit the ground with no more force than if jumping off of a bench; no harm to him whatsoever, and very little discomfort. "Neat," he mused, then took a moment to examine the long silver cape at his shoulders for a mere second before it disappeared.

" _This way!"_  the horse called, flying off down the street. With a shrug, Mamoru ran off after him, following the stallion through a maze of streets and alleys until he found himself in a large shopping district. The horse flew up to a second story window and motioned him to follow, but he couldn't see how. No fire escapes to climb or anything; but there was a bank of windows and a door that he could probably force his way through. He made towards it, only for the horse to balk, " _Do you_ ** _want_** _to be seen? Jump up here and gain the advantage of a surprise attack!"_

"Attack on what? And I can't jump that high!"

" _Try it! You won't look any more like a doof than you do running straight into battle without a supreme advantage point. Now get up here!_ "

Frowning and wondering why he could be dreaming about such a crude character and, furthermore, why he was letting the dream horse goad him into doing something utterly ridiculous  _again_ , he nevertheless crouched and launched himself into the air, expecting to do something akin to a bunny hop, but instead flying impossibly high, his arms wheeling until he nearly crashed through the open window. He caught himself on the edges of the window, his feet scuffing on the small ledge, and gasped in pain as the rough concrete rubbed against his palm. The horse coughed smugly. Bracing himself with only one hand, he turned his left hand over and saw deep red scratches. He had been hurt, and felt it; was… was it not a dream? As his skin knitted together, healing itself in the odd way it somehow always had, he started seeing things in a new,  _real_  light. It was crazy; a white Pegasus with a golden horn that could change in side had burst into his apartment, transformed him into a form that could withstand long falls and allowed him to run faster and jump higher than should be physically impossible, and had led him to a store in the middle of the night. His stomach queasy, he turned back to the impossible figure with cautious eyes.

" _Look; see all those people on the ground?"_  He glanced in and looked down; there were thirty, maybe forty people sprawled on the ground of the jewelry store, all in various prone poses on the ground, most face-down, " _Their energy is being drained from them as we stand here. Much more, and they lose all of their life energy and this building is filled with dead people in the morning."_

He grew cold at first, examining the helpless people, but whatever hesitation he had before about his situation before quickly turned to determination to help these people, and, with any luck, to punish those responsible. "What do we do?" he asked quietly.

" _Do you see the creature in the background? The one that looks half spider, half snake?"_  the horse asked, nodding towards the shadows where, just as it had suggested, lurked a creepy looking monster, its pointed teeth sticking out from dry lips, its black saucer-eyes scanning the room proprietarily. He grimaced at its ugliness, and nodded to show that he had seen it. " _You go fight that, I'll figure out where the energy went._ "

"What?" he hissed in a whisper; how could he fight something like that?

" _Go!"_

A force pressed against his back, pushing him forward. Knocked off balance he started to fall, but in the last second took control of the situation by launching off with his feet so that he could land under his own control, closer to the creature he was to somehow do battle with. The cape appeared as soon as he left the ground, and disappeared when he touched down again, landing in a crouch. He straightened and extended an arm with a finger pointed to the monster. "Hey!" he challenged, "Let these people go!"

The creature smiled slowly, its dry lips cracking audibly as it set its dark eyes on him. For a moment it did not move, but simply observed him, its head turning slowly one way, than another, as if seeing him from different angles; he held his ground under her gaze, a frown set on his face as he dropped his arm to his side, watching her as closely as she watched him. He assessed what he could see of its faintly feminine body, noting that its great eyes would serve as an excellent place to attack, while he should avoid the wicked teeth and arched claws at the end of its hands. Through peripheral vision he searched for anything he could use for defense or offense, but unless he broke glass and used a piece of it as a weapon, he was completely—

Arms grabbed him from behind, pulling him down. He fought, stepping forward and thrusting his elbows backward, connecting with hard bone and knocking a body backwards as he unintentionally moved closer to the beast. Whirling to see what had attacked, the heels of his boots landed on fingers and he jumped back, finding himself suddenly surrounded by the very people he had hoped to save, their eyes white and staring, as though their eyeballs had rolled up into their heads. Their arms were up and seeking, grabbing for him.

" _The creature!"_ the horse warned, and Mamoru turned just in time to see an arm stretching impossibly, long clawed fingers closing around his neck. He grabbed at the wrist and tugged, trying to wrench himself free, but three of the supposed victims jumped him, putting all their weight on his arms and dragging them down. He was surrounded by energy zombies, weighted down by their unseeing bodies as a freakish monster choked him to death. Each breath was a battle, and that battle was coming to an end as his vision faded…

Until suddenly a golden disk of light whirled past him and into the creature, whizzing straight through the arm that held him. It relinquished its grip in shock, and the bodies around him suddenly became limp and lifeless yet again. Coughing to restore the use of his throat, he turned his head to see the faint silhouette of a young woman, her hair in impossibly long pigtails topped with circular buns. The golden disk returned to her and she caught it, revealing that in truth it was a small golden tiara, which she put back on her head. The red jewel in the center shone in the darkness, and she stepped closer, into a beam of moonlight.

Her expression was fierce, blue eyes glaring at the creature hatefully, but her beautiful features were masked below her frightening gaze, hidden by a sheer silver veil that stretched from ear to ear, overtop the tip of her nose. She wore a sleeveless cocktail dress that reached just above her knees, the gown itself appeared black, but overtop it was a sheer layer of silvery-white material that glistened and flowed. The effect was strange and alluring, as though her dress were changing colors with every movement, turning from all black to partially black, to all white… reminding him subtly of the face of the moon going through its monthly phases. The dress was cinched at the waist with an ornate black belt with a pearl decoration. Her hands up to the middle of her forearm were covered by white dinner gloves; her feet, from mid-calf down, were encased in shining black boots ringed in pearls. At her throat was a bright red collar, almost like a gorget, lined with pearls on the outside and centered with a red gem. "I am Jewel Tiara! Gems and pretty things are supposed to fill girls with joy, not sap the energy out of them! Hurry and defeat her, before she regains control over their bodies!"

Recovered from the attack, he straightened and dropped to a ready position, wanting to do nothing more than what she suggested, but he didn't see how.

" _I found the energy! Hurry, attack! Call out "Cardinal Rose Sword" and fight it!"_

Now it mentions he has a sword! If words could dress him up and give him some sort of crazy jumping abilities, they could summon a sword, too. "Cardinal Rose –" a long stemmed red rose materialized in his hand, dew shining on the petals, and despite the urge to just stare at it for a moment, he continued, "Sword!" The rose grew and changed shape, morphing into a sword with a thorned hilt, the rosebud head at the pommel. As if he had been born with a sword in his hand, he rushed forward towards the monster with the sword at the ready, and brought the shining silver blade down in a sweeping arc, connecting with the trunk of the creature.

It backed up in time to avoid a deathly blow, but a sliver of black ooze shone in a diagonal: the sign of a sure hit. It screamed in challenge, its scissor-like teeth spreading as a snake's tongue slithered out and towards him, but he wasn't the type to wait when an opportunity shone. Cruelly and with finality, he held the sword horizontally at shoulder level, then rushed forward, sinking first the tip and then the rest of the blade as hard as he could through one of the large, black eyes.

Slightly horrified by what he had done he froze, the monster's other black eye staring right at him as it dissolved into dust. His sword was suddenly free, but as his grip relaxed, it transformed back into a rose, and fell into the pile of ashes at his feet. He turned and saw the people stirring normally, awakening as if from a deep sleep. The girl, Jewel Moon, had vanished into thin air, and the Pegasus waited for him in the window. He crouched and jumped, landing clumsily on the edge, and jumped again, down in the street. The horse flew before him and he ran alongside it, determined to get a few answers from it.

"What is going on?" he asked.

"…  _we're running away to avoid awkward questions._ "

"Too bad it's not working for you, huh?" he commented, "You know what I mean – who are you, what was that monster, who was that girl, why were those people suddenly without energy and  _what_  am I wearing?"

The Pegasus did an equivalent of a sigh, grumbling, yet answered his questions. " _The monster was a creature from the Dark Kingdom, sent by one of the senshi to gather energy to awaken an ancient and evil force._ "

His brows furrowed, "And just  _why_  do these 'senshi' believe that awakening an ancient and evil force by stealing energy from innocent people is a good thing?"

" _They swore allegiance to the ancient and evil force; if it is allowed to reawaken, it will take over Earth and the senshi will be in positions of power._ "

"Take over Earth?"

" _That's what I said._ "

"And I guess I'm supposed to stop them?"

" _Very astute assumption."_

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically. "But if it's just me against them, who was that girl?"

" _I'm not sure; I wasn't in the room at the time so I didn't even get a good look at her, only hearing her voice. But you will not be alone in this fight; there are three others."_

"Okay; and where are they? Why weren't they here tonight?"

" _Well… I haven't exactly found them yet. You're the first, called Cardinal King. When I discover the identities of the other three Heavenly Kings in this world, we will awaken them and they will help you._ "

"And the five of us will defeat the senshi?"

" _Eh… pretty much._ " The horse replied as they reached his apartment. Far above them, his blinds wafted out the window of his apartment, and he had the crazy idea that he could jump off of the building beside his to get there. As the Pegasus flew by, pausing by the door to his building, Mamoru calculated the angles quickly, and, with a measured correctional step, he jumped. Propelling himself off of his building, he sprung to the building beside, and then back to his, landing clumsily on his bed and stumbling onto the floor. He smiled as the Pegasus joined him. " _You're a quick learner; that's going to be useful. I'll find you again when the senshi attack. It was nice to meet you, Cardinal King._ "

"You too, I guess," Mamoru replied hesitantly, "By the way, what should I call you? And who are you, anyway?"

" _I am Helios; and for now you can think of me as a mentor, of sorts."_

He nodded, "Alright, then, Helios. Thank you for helping me save those people." Gently, his transformation faded away and the golden-colored pin was back in his hand. The Pegasus nodded and faded away as well, as if he had never been there. Wearily, the teenager climbed into his bed and quickly fell asleep.


	2. Is the editor a bad guy? Zoisite Power, Transform!

That next morning had been strange, trying to figure out whether anything that had 'happened' had actually occurred. Falling out of high windows and landing unharmed, jumping stories in a single bound, and fighting using a sword that sprouted from a rose all seemed like something from a crazed dream, but the proof was clear and physical in the form of the golden pendant he awoke to find on his bedside table. He had decided to wear it, slipping the thin silver chain around his neck and tucking it under the collar of his school uniform. If it were real, he reasoned, it meant that he might be needed at any moment to protect the citizens of Tokyo from the machinations of the senshi who wanted their energy.

Once he was ready to leave for school, he flicked on the television as he prepared a quick breakfast, needing a burst of energy himself after staying out most of the night. As the water boiled and he poured a portion into some instant porridge, the news came back from commercial, and at hearing the day's current story he nearly drowned his breakfast entirely.

" **And in district news, nearly fifty unarmed citizens were found trapped this morning the OSA-P Jewelry Store. While none seemed to have sustained any injuries, the store itself was disheveled. The only clues to the night's activities lie in a single rose that was left at the scene, and an eyewitness account by Night Janitor Iko Tasagura.** " the screen flashed to a middle-aged man standing in front of another store in the shopping district, " _When I looked out the window_ ," he said, " _I saw the strangest thing: there was a caped young man wearing a mask accompanied by what appeared to be a white pegasus. He jumped from the second story window onto the street and then ran off!_ " the view returned to the news studio, " **Who is this masked man? Why did he put people in OSA-P Jewelry store and then abandon them? Does Tokyo have a trickster on its hands? Police Chief Kage refuses to comment on the incident, but perhaps we will hear more about the mysterious man at a later date, along with whatever plan Chief Kage has to assure the safety of Tokyo citizens against such a threat.** "

He was able to save his breakfast, but the report had robbed him of his appetite. He sat at the counter with the television on mute as weather forecasts paraded across the screen and a discontented feeling moved through his chest. He had never minded before when good work of his had gone unnoticed – he wasn't one to seek out praise, content with the knowledge he had done his best and that his best was appreciated by his mentors – but to have the spotlight shining on him for doing something terrible when he had in fact done the opposite, did not sit well with him. For a few minutes, as his oatmeal cooled to a pasty consistency, Mamoru considered various options for clearing his alternate persona: a press conference, a public-service message, a multitude of good deeds… but in the end, he decided to do nothing. It didn't matter if people liked him or knew the full story; what mattered was that they were safe from those energy-stealing villains. He stood, grimaced at the congealed mass of glue in his cereal bowl, and put the offending meal in the sink to clean later. Taking his bag in hand, he left for school.

…

Two weeks after his first 'transformation', Mamoru started to wonder if the senshi had something even more sinister planned; he hadn't transformed once since the night at the jewelry store, but if they were real, surely they would not give up after one failed attempt. He suspected they might be strategizing for a larger operation and Helios cautiously agreed. The "unisus" had appeared in his apartment nearly every night; at first it was nothing more than to report on the energy fields around the city and discuss briefly any strategy they might strike up before the next battle, but before the end of the first week Helios was staying to share dinner with Mamoru. The size of a cat, the white horse ate very little and only vegetarian, so Mamoru didn't mind at all, and lately Helios had been leaving for wherever he usually went less and less, pretty much living at the apartment full-time.

The buzz about "Cardinal King" had died down considerably in the news, the anchors and editors writing him off as a one-time joker, but there were others that, for some reason or another, were certain he existed and wouldn't let the idea go. One of these, unfortunately for Mamoru, was his own school paper's editor-in-chief, Hanada Kaito. With all the random rumors about Cardinal King that Hanada aired in the school paper recently, Mamoru had stopped paying any attention whatsoever to the paper and was finding it harder and harder to take classmates seriously when he spied them in the possession of an editorial issue.

And whenever someone asked him about an article…

"Hey, Chiba! Have you read this?" Tairo asked, catching up with Mamoru as he left the soccer field for home and offering him the paper. The headline was titled " **Cardinal King: Hiding in the Shadows?** " and, this time, Mamoru couldn't catch the groan before it escaped his throat. Tairo looked at him with some confusion.

"Sorry," he apologized sincerely, not wanting to put his teammate off, "it just seems that this Cardinal King character is all that the new editor wants to talk about and there is no actual evidence for his existence; you'd think there would be more interesting topics more than two weeks after an initial 'sighting' of a masked man in the middle of the night."

Tairo scoffed, smiling, "Oh, I didn't mean to show you the headline – everyone knows Hanada's just trying to get an edge over real papers by ghost-hunting. I just wondered if you saw this announcement about the science club's upcoming Fighting Robot tournament next weekend!"

"Fighting Robot tournament?" he repeated, taking the paper from Tairo with amusement. Underneath the main article was a small picture of the senior physics teacher and a model of a popular robot style beside a title confirming Tairo's announcement. "I thought Fighting Robots was beneath Yoshiro-sensei?"

"Apparently an old rival of his has started teaching at another high school in this area and he's intent on crushing him in every way possible."

Mamoru smiled, indicating the paper, "Well, this will be a good start."

He tried to hand it back to his teammate, but Tairo put up his hand to block the pass. "You keep it; you'll have the time in case you wanted to go." He turned to walk in the opposite direction and they said their farewells.

Mamoru waited alone for the bus, scanning the newspaper below the fluff-story for the school's real news which, apparently, had made some kind of comeback. The stories were anything but extraordinary, but it was interesting to read what other clubs and associations were up to: the debate society had another win under their belts, the biology club was working with a local university to observe medical techniques, the host club was holding another co-ed dance with a neighboring all-girls school –

" _Another article about you?_ " piped the voice of Helios. Mamoru nearly jumped, turning his head to see the white Pegasus floating just above his shoulder. Quickly he looked around – the street was nowhere near deserted! " _It's been quite a while – I wonder if –_ "

"What are you doing?" Mamoru interrupted, his voice as quiet as possible, "Anyone can see you!"

" _Pssh_ " the horse blew, " _I know when people are looking at me._ "

"Tell that to Iko Tasagura!" Mamoru hissed back, trying to look around him inconspicuously as his hands moved up slowly towards the hovering hand-sized horse.

" _Who?_ " Helios repeated with no small amount of confusion, eyeing the hand.

"The night janitor who reported us to the news!" Helios looked thoughtful, so Mamoru continued in hopes of making him disappear, "Did you feel him watching us then?"

" _That was entirely—_ " Helio's voice froze midsentence, his entire body seeming to stop in time. Even his wings stopped mid-beat; had Mamoru's hand not been near, he might not have caught his guardian before the tiny Pegasus body fell to the ground. As it was, he held Helios awkwardly, feeling a heartbeat through skin that was cooling quickly.

Growing worried, he was about to ask what was wrong when out of the corner of his eye he spied none other than Hanada, the school newspaper editor. The blonde young man appeared at his shoulder, looking as though he had been there for quite some time, when in reality he hadn't been there just moments before. "Good evening, Chiba," he greeted with a sly smile, eyeing the Pegasus in Mamoru's hand.

He lowered it and tried to hold him less-awkwardly, only halfway succeeding. "Good evening, Hanada. What brings you around here?" he asked; it was well known that Hanada had a rather wealthy family who lived on the other side of the school from Mamoru, so it wasn't entirely a strange or unexpected question.

"Oh, not much," he replied. He wore an unbuttoned white collared shirt over a pale green top and jeans – all designer, from the shoes on his feet to the colored fashionable sunglasses and floppy hat on his head. His long wavy blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail but for the bangs; it was a wonder that the Principle didn't make him cut it, but his parents were very influential and had places on the school board, so it remained. Regardless, it appeared as though he were out on casual business, even though any sort of business Hanada was expected to casually attend to would be in the shopping district, not here. His green eyes fell upon Helios and a delicate eyebrow quirked, "Is that a toy?"

"Yeah," Mamoru agreed easily, "I picked it up for one of the girls back home."

The eyes turned on him, eyebrow still furrowed, "But aren't you an orphan?"

Mamoru stared at him coolly; everyone knew of his background, so there was no real reason to bring it up, unless Hanada was trying to put himself on some higher ground. Mamoru didn't enjoy such games, preferring to end them before they began. "I am; she is too. Even orphans like toys, Hanada."

He shrugged. "It's terribly lifelike…" he remarked, reaching a hand out as if to touch the Pegasus 'toy'.

"Yeah, if a winged unicorn is something you consider to be realistic," Mamoru countered with a light mocking tone, moving Helios slightly; he had noticed the horse twitching every now and again throughout the conversation, and would rather not have to figure out a way to explain why a toy felt real and reacted realistically. Luckily for him, the bus was pulling up beside them. Clutching his passenger lightly as he stepped aboard the bus, he swiped his card and nodded to his classmate, "See you tomorrow, Hanada."

Hanada nodded in return, "Have a good night, Chiba."

The second he took his seat, Helios disappeared, but as soon as Mamoru opened his apartment door the white horse was back in full force. He dove right into Mamoru's face, hovering at eye-level with his long golden horn just inches away from Mamoru's forehead. " _There was definitely something strange about that guy!"_  Helios exclaimed, his bright red eyes even larger than usual, " _I felt something in him – a strange energy!"_

Mamoru stepped aside to close his door, Helios moving to stay in place before him, "Hanada? What kind of strange energy?" he asked, kicking off his shoes and sliding into his slippers, respectfully keeping his gaze on his guardian.

" _I think he's being controlled by the Senshi!_ "

He froze, his bag dropping from his hand to the floor in a less-than-graceful manner. "You mean he could be working for them?"

" _Why else would he continue to run a dead story about you?_ " he questioned, " _He's trying to lure you out! To expose you! With you gone, the Dark Kingdom will be able to do as they please on their own time!_ "

It made sense enough, "So… what do we do?" he asked, "I can't just waltz right up to him and-"

Helios's neck craned around to stare suddenly out the window, his whole body tense, " _An attack!_ " he warned, flying quickly to the living room's expansive windows, " _Energy – large amounts of energy is being collected to a single source! Hurry!"_

"Where?" Mamoru asked, throwing his feet back into his shoes – he wouldn't chance jumping out of his window before sunset.

" _Near where we left our little friend._ "

…

Standing on the roof of his building, Mamoru as Cardinal King examined the drop and the distance to the next roof, taking a deep breath. While it was comforting to know that if he landed on his feet everything would turn out okay, he still had no idea what would happen if he, say, jumped for a rooftop, hit the side of the building instead and fell without control to the concrete so many stories below.

" _Is it going to be like this every time? Hurry up!"_  Helios urged, hovering above the rooftop he was aiming for.

"Just give me a minute!" Mamoru yelled back. They had decided rooftops would be the easiest and fastest method of travel and would allow them some form of privacy, but that didn't mean he was recklessly fearless. One more deep breath and he started running, scenery rushing past him much faster than he was used to when running on the soccer field. He leapt, his black boots pushing off the corner of the rooftop and was suddenly airborne, a cape flying from his shoulders and  _giving_  him and extra push instead of causing him to drag. He landed at a run and kept going, following the anxious Helios as he flew to the next roof. The following jump was easier, and the one after even more so; while he never smiled, knowing what it was they were running towards, he couldn't deny the feeling of exhilaration that accompanied each flying leap.

Soon Helios dove down between buildings and Cardinal King dropped down beside him, falling past fire escapes to land easily in a crouched position in the alleyway below. He sprung back up and kept running around the side of the building, keeping to the shadows, until Helios disappeared. He reappeared in a split-second, " _Youma, just inside this building. Twenty-two down, but someone's still moving. Twenty bucks says it's Hanada in there pulling the strings._ "

"Only one way to find out," Mamoru replied, "What's the plan? What's it like in there?"

" _It's on the bottom floor; no high entrances. You'll just have to run in swinging. I'll find the gathered energy and release it as soon as the youma's down; wait for my signal, or it'll be transported to their kingdom if things aren't just right."_

Mamoru nodded and Helios disappeared again, presumably to search out the gathered energy. He wondered momentarily if he should break the door down with his shoulder or kick it down, but first decided to try the handle. It was open. He slid in and closed the door quickly; finding himself in a long, bright hallway, he rushed down as quickly as possible, listening closely at each door along the way for signs of any kind of activity, not exactly expecting anything - unconscious people tend to stay quiet. So, instead, he planted his feet in a ready fashion, and called a challenge out to whatever monster was present. "Hey! I know you're there!" he yelled, grimacing slightly at the weak phrasing, "Come out and fight, you cowardly monster!"

A door flew across the hallway explosively; Mamoru flinched, but only marginally. A beast as tall as the ceiling stepped out into the hall, its large head with sharp teeth and blood-red eyes stared at him from under a bush of dark brown hair. It was a mixture of gorilla and feudal-age ogre, with horns poking out of its forehead and a strong, hairless chest supporting ham-sized biceps on floor-length arms. It growled menacingly, the noise like thunder. It was huge, stooping beneath the ceiling… and then was rushing him.

There was no way to escape the bull-rush, so Mamoru opened the door closest to him and stepped inside, letting the red beast barrel past him down the hall with mere moments to spare. Wondering what exactly he was to do to keep the beast occupied until Helios was ready, Mamoru stepped back into the hallway and yelled again. It was nothing intelligible, just something to draw the beast's attention, but it was too late. The door at the end of the hall was gone, along with a good deal of the building around it: the youma had escaped. "Great," Mamoru cursed, and quickly gave chase.

The beast was in the alleyway looking stunned beside a crumpled dumpster. He moved to cut off the beast's escape route. "Cardinal Rose—" he started, the rose summoned to his hand, but suddenly a cinderblock was flying towards his head, and he had to jump out of the way. The monster, roused and sinister looking, made as if to escape out into the street; Mamoru used what he had to stop him – he threw the rose.

Unlike any flora he had ever seen, the rose flew straight and true, slicing through the air like an arrow. It cut through the thick skin on the monster's face, green blood oozing from the wound impossibly. The monster stopped and rounded to face him, his eyes focused on nothing else. Mamoru jumped over the beast's head, landing in the doorway – if it were to chase him, he'd rather it go back  _inside_  the building.

" _Watch out!_ " Helios warned as the beast charged, distracting Mamoru enough to make him fumble.

"Easier to do so without you warning me!" he yelled, reaching back to brace himself on the wall, but finding the surface his hand touched to be warm and cloth-covered. He jumped and whirled to find a camera in his face.

"Don't mind the camera!" Hanada exclaimed, "Watch out! It's coming back!"

"What are you doing?" Mamoru cried, opening the door beside them and pushing his classmate through just as the beast barreled past. Hanada fell back two steps, but the camera continued to click, taking pictures. Helios suddenly appeared between them, his golden horn forcing Hanada back, but the smile remained on his classmate's face.

" _Who are you and what are you doing in this plane?"_  Helios's voice boomed.

"It talks?" Hanada exclaimed, "This is excellent!" The door crashed in behind them, knocking Cardinal King to the side, against the wall. Helios teleported out of the way, and Hanada spun safely out of the path of the monster, giving it a kick in the rear as it passed to crash into the desk in the office. "Do the rose trick again!" he urged, camera to his eye yet again, focused on Cardinal King rather than the youma just feet away from him.

" _Wait… could it be…?_ " Helios mused, staring at their blonde "guest" as Mamoru rolled his shoulders to loosen them. " _Take this,_ " the Pegasus offered with uncertainty, and suddenly a blue pendant was flying towards Hanada. He caught it, letting the camera drop around his neck, and looked at them with confusion. " _Try yelling "Zoisite Power, Transform!"_ "

Hanada stifled a laugh. Mamoru looked at Helios, wondering what the white horse was thinking, but suddenly he heard "Zoisite Power, Transform!" and a burst of light blue light shone in his periphery. Hanada had transformed. His attire was nearly identical to Mamoru's, from the blue-gray suit to the black belt and boots, but rather than golden accents around the coat and lining the mask on his face, his was lined in light green. His blue pendant held his jacket in place.

" _King of the North,_ " Helios greeted smugly, " _help Cardinal King keep this beast distracted while I unbind the energy. Good luck, North King."_  He disappeared, leaving the two of them alone together.

Hanada – or, North King – looked at him with disbelief, his brows furrowing above his mask, " _What?"_  he yelled incredulously, bound blond hair shaking as his head moved from where Helios was to where Mamoru stood.

Mamoru grinned at him, "You heard him,  _North King_ , help me with the monster! You wanted to know what this was all about, right? Well, wish came true." The beast twitched awake, looking over his shoulder at North King. "Watch out!" He leapt forward, summoning his weapon, "Cardinal Rose Sword!" and brandished it threateningly to draw the creature's attention.

Hanada glanced behind him and quickly jumped out of the way, his motion carrying him higher than he apparently expected, clumsily landing in a chair off to the side. "The hell is going on?"

It charged at Mamoru and he stepped out of the way, letting the creature bash into the wall beside him, waiting on Helio's signal before he acted. Unlike the times before, however, the beast recovered immediately, throwing a hammy fist towards Mamoru's head. He ducked and rolled, coming up behind the monster just as it whipped around and yelled. The sound was so loud Mamoru had to cover his ears, stepping back uncertainly, only managing to hold onto his sword with a strong force of will. Its arm rose above his head, but it was as though the wave emitting from his throat were paralyzing; he was stuck where he was.

Fortunately for him, North King wasn't.

His blonde ally was suddenly on the monster's back, a rope of some sort around the beast's neck, pulling its head up and freeing Mamoru from sound-wave attack as the beast's throat closed. Its red arms scrabbled at its neck and reached back to try to knock North King away, but he was too quick, his legs moving his body left and right like a skier on a snowy mountain. "Stab it!" he cried.

"We have to wait for Helios!" Mamoru replied, leveling his sword and preparing to charge.

"What?" he yelled, "I've got it now! Kill it!"

"We can't yet!" he replied, "If we kill it before Helios frees the energy, those people will die!"

North King growled, "Fine!" still surfing as the monster careened around, trying to grab him.

" _Got it!"_ Helios signaled, and Cardinal King rushed forward, throwing his sword into the beast's chest up to the hilt. It was hard work, rushing through the packed muscle, but his momentum carried him forward. He released the sword as the beast fell to its knees, North King landing beside him holding a blue whip made of ice. The youma dissolved into gray dust, the red rose buried in the pile. Helios appeared suddenly, hovering above the pile. " _Time to go,_ " he declared, preceding them out the door and down the hall. Mamoru followed with North King in tow, Hanada looking confused. Once they were out in the alleyway, the sun setting somewhere in the metropolis beyond, the white Pegasus flew upward, and Mamoru jumped after it.

"Are you kidding me?" Hanada yelled from below; Mamoru grasped the handrail of a fire escape level and paused, looking down at him.

"Just jump!" he plucked the corner of his cape, "The cape helps, somehow." The eyes in the green mask looked disbelieving; Cardinal King shrugged, "Or you could run up the fire escape, whatever you want to do." He turned and jumped across the alley to get some air, then ricocheted to the rooftop. "We'll wait a few rooftops down for you; the cops might show soon!" he called down to his incredulous new ally, then turned and ran.


	3. Are they truly our enemy? Jadeite Power, Transform!

" _He's here,_ " Helios announced, appearing a few feet away and quickly growing to his full size.

Cardinal King stepped into the light of the setting sun, out of the shadows surrounding the stair house to see the King of the North land clumsily on the rooftop, arms pinwheeling to keep his balance as he came to a rough stop. "You fought really well back there," Mamoru complimented as the blonde walked over with as much dignity he could muster. "I'm glad to have you working with me."

"And what, exactly, does this 'work' entail?" his peer replied, standing nearly level with him. They were on one of the tallest roofs in the area, clearly out of sight of anyone in Tokyo. When he thought about it, their position was rather incredible; how often did people stand out on the rooftops and take a look around? The skies were beautiful around them, glowing orange and fading to purple as the moon rose overhead.

Helios approached, speaking easily. " _Defeating the enemy and protecting the people of Earth. The two of you are currently Earth's only defense against the Dark Kingdom and their senshi, who will stop at nothing to gather enough energy to summon a great and powerful evil that would take the life of every being on the planet and enslave them._ "

Hanada considered, his brows furrowed. Mamoru wondered what he thought about the revelation, the responsibilities just placed on his shoulders. Was he rebelling against the job he had never asked for? Did he regret being in that building today? But rather than ask questions about himself, North King instead inquired, "Just the two of us? What about the King of the West?"

"The King of the West?" Mamoru and Helios repeated as one, equally confused.

"Yeah," North King replied, one hand on his hip, "He's sometimes called the Evening Star. You haven't heard of him? I've mentioned him once or twice in articles about Cardinal—er,  _you_. He's another mysterious figure running around Tokyo these days; I read about him in a few online forums. I thought the two of you were working together, but apparently not." He shrugged.

" _The King of the West is one of the protectors – he is supposed to be your ally, but how did he awaken?"_ Helios wondered, obviously disturbed by the news.

"I wonder why we haven't met? … Do you think he could be why the past two weeks have been so quiet, or do you think things will always be quiet like that?" Mamoru asked aloud of no one in particular, hundreds of possibilities running through his mind, chief among them was this Evening Star character – who was he? Why hadn't they found each other? Did he work with Jewel Tiara? … did she even exist? He hadn't seen her since that night and Helios knew nothing about her... To North King, he commented, "I guess we'll figure that out later."

In a glow of blue light, North King faded away to leave Hanada standing there, holding the Zoisite pendant. He smiled, throwing the necklace up into the air and catching it, "Guess I've got a pretty good story, eh?"

Mamoru was about to power down as well, but froze, "You're not seriously going to report on this, are you?"

Hanada shrugged, "Not in the way you probably think. If I'm going to play hero, I'm going to make sure everyone knows we're heroes and not the cheap jokers other news sources have suggested." He picked up the camera dangling on his neck, "I should have a little over 100 pictures on here, ranging from the attack on the cram school our big red buddy initiated, a few choice pictures of you, and then you fighting him. This with a good story should clear your name," he paused, smiling slyly, "and get my name out there as an excellent journalist, editor, photographer and writer."

Cardinal King shook his head, the transformation fading away to leave Mamoru Chiba standing across from his classmate. "Glad to give you a story, I guess."

"Chiba," Hanada offered his hand and Mamoru took it, shaking it firmly, "I thought it might've been you. Don't ask me why, I just had this feeling."

Mamoru nodded, figuring the declaration for a reporter's boast. "I look forward to working with you, Hanada, especially if you pull more of that crazy stuff in the future – what made you think about jumping on its back and collaring it?" he asked with a smile, remembering the sight of his masked companion using the beast's shoulderblades as skis.

Hanada shrugged, smiling, "I do what I must to get the job done. Speaking of, I'm going home now to start working on the story. See you around, Chiba," he nodded his head, Mamoru nodded back. Hanada turned to Helios and nodded his head to him, as well, "Pegasus."

" _Helios_ ," the mentor corrected, " _I'll be serving as a guardian and guide. Before you go, take this_ ," from Helios's horn shone a sudden burst of light that lanced to each of their wrists. When the light faded, both Mamoru and Hanada had handsome wristwatches, his accented with golden stones, Hanada's with clear blue gems. " _Communicator watches. When you want to send a message, turn the clock hands to 12; an alarm will go off on the other person's watch. As soon as the other person sets their hands to 12, a communication channel will open and you can speak freely._ "

Hanada nodded, "Okay. Well, have a good night." He disappeared into the building through the stairwell door and was gone. Mamoru elected to stay for a few moments, watching the red door and considering his new ally, and the possibility of allies to come.

…

Mamoru checked the time, glancing down at his new 'watch' as he strode down the busy street in the Juuban shopping district, weaving in and out of foot traffic as he searched for the nearest bus stop. He wasn't late just yet, he decided, but if he didn't catch the next bus he would be. As he passed the storefront of the Osa-P Jewelry store he looked inside; it had been nearly a month since the attack and no traces were left within. Hanada had told him offhandedly about how he and other reporters had gathered at the store every night for a week to see if the mysterious caped figure would return, hoping to expand upon the breaking story without luck, and once the store opened again after repairs it had been swamped with customers; it had even come out with its own commemorative earrings: red roses with green stems. The articles were still on display, the paper blown up to an oversized poster behind one of the counters. He kept walking.

The crowds thinned and he spied the bus stop, but before he quite reached it a wadded-up piece of paper came flying towards him, bouncing off of his forehead with some force. "Hey!" he yelled reflexively, but whoever the litterbug had been, they were lost in the crowd and the bus had just arrived. With the nearest trash receptacle closer to the storefronts, he held on to the paper as he stepped up onto the bus and made his way to the open seat in the back. As soon as he was seated the bus started, he heard a sharp gasp from the girl sitting beside him.

"Where did you get that?!" she cried with astonishment, her bright blue eyes wide as her hands covered her agape mouth.

" _Someone_  threw it at my head!" he replied, holding the paper just out of reach as her hands shot out to snatch it from him. "I take it that was you!"

"I didn't throw it at you!" she disputed, squirming over him to try to grab it. Thrown by her too-familiar behavior, he let her take the paper and watched as she sat back down, her lips pursed in annoyance as she crumpled the paper into an even tighter ball and stuffed it into her school bag. Judging her uniform, he recognized her as a local middle school student. And with that long blonde hair in pigtail buns, she made for a  _familiar_  local middle school student.

"So…  _another_  less-than-stellar grade there, odango?" he asked teasingly. He'd seen this girl before – he'd been  _hit_  by this girl before. Well, not physically – it had been another crumpled up test. And a shoe, before that. He was beginning to wonder if he should start carrying an umbrella whenever he ventured into that district, as it seemed that every time he was there, she was, too, and, inevitably, something was airborne and landing on him.

With her nose in the air, she crossed her arms and looked away from him, "That's  _none_  of your business, jerk!"

"It wouldn't be if you didn't hit me on the head with it so often. Why not pick up a book instead of pitching failing grades at innocent passersby?" He enjoyed getting her riled up – she was so strange, reacting so outwardly where everyone else tended to keep things private. Rather than yell back at him, she just "Humph!"d loudly, the eye he could see was closed. "I mean, really, whatever happened to keeping Tokyo clean? You alone are—" his watch sounded an alarm, interrupting him and catching her attention. He glanced down, wondering what was happening on Hanada's end – but not quite daring to answer the call with the girl right there, looking from him to his watch and back again.

"I didn't know those types of watches could have alarms!" she commented curiously, all anger from before apparently gone. When he didn't immediately answer, glancing outside to see how close the next stop was, she asked something else, "Where did you get it? It's kinda cool! Do they come in pink?"

"It was a gift from a friend, so I'm not sure," he commented offhandedly, standing as the bus slowed. He looked back to the girl, "Study harder, Odango!" he called, waving curtly as he made his way up the aisle and got off the bus. As it pulled away, he approached the fence and kept walking in the same direction as he moved the watch hands to noon. With another short beep, he heard static and the watch face popped up out of its casing and flipped around to display a screen; Hanada's head against a blue-sky background stared back at him. "What's up?" he asked.

"Where are you?" Hanada asked, "I thought you would catch a ride! You'll never get here in time if you're walking!"

"I  _was_  on the bus," Mamoru replied, "I had to get off to answer you! Not everyone could use their parent's chauffer to get around, you know."

"Wait,  _what?_!" the blonde cried, "You were on the  _bus?!_ "

"Yes, the  _bus_ ," he stated flatly.

"Heading towards the Hikawa Shrine?"

"Yes," he replied forcefully – that was where Hanada has asked they meet, so why was he so startled? "Why?"

"I just saved your ass – get to the shrine as soon as you can!" Hanada ended the call, and Mamoru's watch face flipped around again to reveal the time – 5:55 pm.

He reached the shrine to see Hanada running in the opposite direction, farther down the street. "Hurry up!" he yelled over his shoulder, so Mamoru started running again, feeling foolish but catching a strange aura in the air that made his skin prickle as though on pins and needles. Something was wrong. At the next opportunity, when he passed between the covered bus station and a wooden fence, he transformed and caught up to Hanada in no time, and in a flash North King was running with him.

"What's going on?" Cardinal King asked, his breath coming more easily after the transformation even while he was running much faster than before. Up ahead he saw the bus, a pair of familiar blonde buns prominent in the back window.

"It's the Phantom Bus!" North King replied, his eyes flashing behind his light green mask. "Every day this week the bus that passes the Hikawa Shrine at 6:00 has disappeared and young people on the bus vanish into thin air; I think the Dark Kingdom is behind it, kidnapping the youth for their energy!"

" _Good thinking, North King!_ " Helios replied, appearing beside them suddenly.

"Helios!" Mamoru exclaimed, "Did you find the King of the West?"

" _Not yet. Watch it!_ " The Pegasus shot forward, his golden horn shining with the burst of speed, " _It's disappearing! Hurry! Don't let it get away with those innocent people!_ "

Up ahead the front of the bus had disappeared into a swirling black vortex, like a funnel cloud to nowhere. In the back seat he saw the girl – Tsukino Usagi – look out of the window towards him, and then she was gone. Both he and his partner lunged and made it through before the world disappeared behind them.

For long moments there was nothing but darkness, but soon his eyes adjusted, finding a strange, dark silver light glancing off of the world around him. North, beside him, held up a hand as a sign for silence – not that he needed someone to tell him to keep quiet while in enemy territory –and pointed to a group of empty busses suspended in space above them, their doors wide open and an eerie blue light leaking from them.

" _Energy_ ," Helios identified silently, flying off to follow the streams to where they gathered, but paused as if struck, winging behind the nearest object. " _SENSHI!_ " he warned shrilly in their minds. " _Be careful! It is Mars, the Senshi of Passion and War!_ "

Mamoru's eyes searched the scene for the sinister warrior, the leaders of the Dark Kingdom's forces, and was caught off-guard. Standing in the middle of the broken columns that littered this world, glaring down at an unconscious form heaped by her bright red high heels, was a strikingly beautiful girl. Long, pin-straight raven-black hair reached nearly to her knees, her bangs framing amethyst eyes that glared curiously down at the figure at her feet; she appeared unthreatening, and he wondered if Helios had been right – this girl didn't look like she would hurt anyone; she definitely wasn't dressed for it. Red high heels would be difficult to maneuver in, short red skirt with white leotard, bedecked with bows and a sailor collar, seemed more decoration than war garb, and the white gloves that came up to her elbows looked to be more suited to attending a dinner party than leading an army of monsters bent on collecting energy. But then… she definitely seemed in charge of the situation. The heap at her feet was, at second inspection, a guy. A teenager, like him, with short dark blonde hair and wearing a high school uniform; he appeared to be unconscious.

Slowly, the girl uncrossed her arms and pointed with her right hand to Helios's hiding spot, " **I see you there, Earth Kingdom Scum**." Suddenly a jet of fire burst from her fingertip, lancing forward in a rush to where their guardian hid, and there was no more question as to her alignment. His eyes seared with pain at the sudden light, but he had little time to recover if he wanted to free Helios.

"Hey!" he yelled, running from cover to stand across from her in the clearing. She paid him no attention; so he called up his rose and threw it at her. It sailed true and glanced by her face, its thorns cutting a neat line in her cheek. He summoned another and held it threateningly, ready to throw it, too, but the jet of flame stopped as she turned to him. He kept his eyes on hers, waiting for her to address him, but she stayed silent. So he continued, hoping Helios had gone to find the energy store and release it. "Let these people go! They will have no part in your sinister plans!"

" **They are already a part; soon we will have enough energy and then this planet will get what it deserves.** "

"Which is what? What did Earth do to you?" He asked, slowly circling around as he noticed North King covertly maneuvering behind her. On the floor by her feet, the civilian stirred; they had to get him away from her.

" **Something for which it will never be able to repent.** " Without blinking, she turned and sent another lance of fire towards North King, whose icy whip sublimated in his hands to a wisp of water vapor. The flames then turned, surrounding him in a ring to keep the King of the North in place. But while she busied herself with him, Mamoru dashed forward, pushing her off balance as he grabbed hold of the unconscious figure's hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Run!" he commanded of the confused young man, pushing him away just in time for Mars to reel around, her long hair flying as her fist connected solidly with his cheekbone. Stars swam in his vision as he stumbled back and fell, caught completely off guard by her attack. Glancing over at North King, his heart sunk – the fire ring hadn't disappeared. His ally was still trapped, and their enemy was above him, her dark purple eyes reflecting the fire she had summoned. He kicked back, away from her, but his head swam with the effort and his elbow gave out, leaving him completely sprawled on his back with the fire senshi standing above him.

" **Die,** " she commanded as her index finger extended towards him.

This was it; it wasn't a game, it wasn't a dream, and it had never been. It was only too real, and he was about to die in an alternate dimension, and he hadn't saved anyone. Hanada might die, all of the people… Odango, too. In his hand another rose came, unbidden, but he didn't get a chance to use it.

"Jadeite Power, Transform!" a burst of green light flooded the area, distracting the senshi's gaze. Mamoru threw the rose and it stuck in her side, and a mere second later it was joined by a small throwing knife. She cried out, and suddenly the throwing knife burst into an all-encompassing flame that surrounded her body.

"Wait!" a new voice called from behind, but the green flames paid him no heed, and the inferno continued. North King, freed from his prison, rushed forward and helped Mamoru to his feet and the pair of them stepped back from the flames, ending up beside another King, this one's uniform lined in red. With short dark blond hair, Mamoru had little doubt it was the same person who Mars had as a personal captive. They looked at one another, the newcomer alarmed, North nodding to him, silently telling him he had done the right thing. Mamoru wasn't as sure; the monsters had turned to dust upon their defeat; to him, that meant they were normal, which is to say, weren't natural, but this senshi… she looked like them. Sure, she was going to kill him and said as much herself, but this defeat wasn't the same. He felt bad – he wanted to stop it, to put out the flames, to see if he could save her –

And then a blast of cool air rushed through them, their capes appearing to keep them in place as a figure jumped in from above. It was a girl wearing a short black-and-white cocktail dress, boots, and gloves, her long blonde hair in bunned pigtails atop her head. With a golden tiara and the bright red gorget around her neck, Mamoru knew at last that she was real: Jewel Tiara. She landed where their enemy had been and plucked from the air a red double-pyramidal gem that was lit from within; the only thing left of their opponent. She held it to her chest, looked over at them with shining bright blue eyes, and jumped off again, disappearing into the darkness, silver light glancing off of her receding form.

"Who was  _that?_ " North King asked.

"Jewel Tiara," he replied, "She saved my life that first night."

"So she's on our side?" he continued.

Mamoru shrugged, "I don't know; Helios didn't know anything about her. Her tiara… Mars had one just like it." He didn't care for the comparison, but felt it needed to be said. As much as he wanted to trust her, he knew blind trust was something they couldn't afford. Above them, the bus' lights turned on, all at once, their headlights piercing the darkness. They were all tied together as one giant chain, all ready to leave.

" _It is done._ " Helios stated, reappearing beside them. " _As the last of the energy is released, another opening should appear that will lead us back to Tokyo. The citizens should fully recover without complications, though those who were taken that first day may need more sleep._ "

Mamoru nodded, looking around for the suggested opening.

"So…" the new voice said, "What's going on?"


	4. A pact among protectors, The Past Revealed!

It took them a few minutes to explain the situation and their purpose, and by the time the portal began to open far above their heads, they had learned a bit about their new ally. Moegi Yuu, the King of the South, attended a local public high school – he was a second year, like them, was the student council president for his year, and was an accomplished member of the debate club at his school. Mamoru didn't quite know how to take him, at first; Moegi exuded a calm, confident air that smacked of a cunning personality and his first impression upon speaking with him for a bit was that he didn't want to trust the guy as far as he could throw him. Every word seemed to have been chosen for a particular purpose; what purpose, he didn't quite know, but the practice probably came with the territory of being a political position.

But, still, even as Moegi spoke highly and strategically of his accomplishments and asked critical questions about their duties, Mamoru couldn't help but remember the way the King of the South called to the flames he commanded, pleading with them to 'wait'. He wondered which was the true representation of Moegi: the smooth-talking and confident class president, seemingly ruthless and uncaring, or the person who pleaded with flames to spare an enemy's life? He supposed that, with time, he might find out.

Mamoru smiled sardonically at himself, watching as the portal opened wider and let in the dusky light of the Tokyo sunset; how odd it was, to get to know people through life-and-death situations. Already, after just two battles together, he felt he could really trust and rely on Hanada – he had to, with the situations they had survived together and would face before this was all over with. What got him the most about it all was that he was sure that he and Hanada would have never become friends any other way. And now, with Moegi – even if they didn't become close friends, he still would have never made this connection without this odd string of fate that kept them all together. Or the random bunch of rocks that chose them, whichever.

"The buses are moving by themselves…" North King stated curiously. Mamoru followed his gaze to see the linked transports moving slowly forward, up impossibly towards the opening. "Wait," Hanada corrected, looking from the leading bus over to him, "there's a driver in the front seat; do you think it's the girl?"

Mamoru focused his eyes and could barely make out the silvery-blonde hair and white dinner gloves against the darkness of her dress and within the bus, but there was no mistaking the match. "Yeah," he replied, watching the first bus disappear though the portal opening. He turned to look at Helios, floating between himself and Moegi, and asked again, "Are you sure you don't know who she is?" He didn't quite know why it mattered to him so much, but he didn't want to leave her affiliation as an unknown. She had saved his life once, but he wanted to know if he could really trust her or if she were a clever ruse sent out by the enemy to lay false tracks and create a bigger trap for them all in the end.

" _I'm pretty sure I don't remember her at all,_ " Helios commented, staring up at the chain of buses curiously as each disappeared.

"I don't know about you guys, but I don't plan on missing that last bus. We can talk about Chiba's little mystery girl once we get  _out_  of this alternate dimension, wouldn't you say?" North King's eyes were mocking as he fluidly jumped, cape suddenly appearing as he launched up onto the top of the final bus in line. Mamoru scowled at the implication, but took some small joy from the way Hanada nearly lost his balance upon landing. He motioned to Moegi with a nod of his head as he sprung up afterwards, sticking his landing solidly and giving the long-haired blonde a smug shrug of his shoulders. The bus shook suddenly, causing both of them to throw their hands out to keep from falling. North King's ice whip appeared suddenly, the blue eyes behind the mask growing hard in surprise as Mamoru tensed, fearing some sort of delayed counter attack, but as a hand appeared clinging to the roof near their feet he nearly laughed in relief.

Helpfully, he crouched and looked over the edge to see South King clinging to the side of the bus, looking dazed and chagrined. He offered a hand and Moegi took it gratefully; Hanada came over and did the same, and with a good tug their third was safely with them. He brushed himself off as he tried to look as nonchalant as possible, as though he hadn't just faceplanted into a floating vehicle in an alternate dimension dressed as a caped phantom military man. Mamoru kept quiet to let the new guy have some shred of dignity, but Hanada looked like he was about to say something. Luckily for South King, when they exited through the dimensional tear it was to a scene of mild chaos and Hanada held his tongue. People were stepping out of the buses in a daze, asking questions and looking around – just down the street Mamoru saw a policeman turning the corner and signaled straight away for the three of them to disperse through the nearest alleyway, not wanting to risk jumping to a rooftop with a newbie in a potentially serious situation.

North and South saw what he motioned to and jumped off of the bus immediately, running much faster than any normal person could hope to run. Before he jumped, however, he glanced over the crowd, feeling nervous until he spied a familiar pair of blonde buns milling around near the first of the buses. Relieved, he smirked as the girl scratched her head curiously – Tsukino would be fine. Then he, too, was gone.

…

Nearly a quarter of a city later, the three of them took a breather on what happened to be his apartment building. They detransformed, reverting to casual clothing and school uniforms as Helios returned to them. " _Everything has been set to rights_ ," the Pegasus confirmed, " _Many were sent to the hospital for evaluations or an overnight observation period, but a good few were deemed healthy enough to walk away from the scene._ "

"Did any of them mention us?" Hanada asked pointedly, probably considering writing a story about the incident but needing at least hearsay to begin.

" _In fevered tones, yes, but I don't think the police paid them any heed._ "

"Perfect," he trailed off, his hands pulling a small notebook and pencil out of his back pocket. He flipped to a blank page and started scribbling feverishly; Mamoru expected a story about the occurrence in the morning's paper.

"Helios, was it?" Moegi began, his confidence having returned after the first few high jumps made without faltering. After the final jump – from the neighboring rooftop below Mamoru's apartment building onto this rooftop, he had been practically back to how he'd been when he started talking about all of his accomplishments before. Helios nodded encouragingly, and Moegi continued, "What did you mean before when you said you didn't "remember" her?"

Hanada's furious scribbling stopped mid-scribe; the question caught Mamoru off-guard, as well - he had never actually considered the statement, just let it slide by, like most of what Helios said nowadays. All eyes on him, the winged unicorn landed and grew in size until his eyes were at their level and folded his wings neatly. He regarded them uneasily, and Mamoru felt like he was judging them – but, then, hadn't they already been judged and found worthy? Why else would the stones have chosen them to be the guardians of Earth's citizens and face the threat of the Dark Kingdom? "What did you mean, Helios?" he asked evenly, reinforcing Moegi's question.

Helios seemed to consider for a moment longer, his eyes catching each of theirs in turn, but then he began. " _It is true that you are three of the four chosen to protect Earth's citizens from the evils of the Dark Kingdom, but your story did not start here, in this place, and this time_." He emphasized the final words, and Mamoru's brows furrowed, waiting for their mentor to continue. " _Your stories actually started in a far-away place, a place deep within Earth itself and yet upon its surface, a Royal Kingdom that ruled over Earth in its entirety, Elysion, in a time several millennia long past. It was an era of timid peace, an era soon crowned by the birth of a Prince of Elysion gifted Earth's own gift – the Golden Crystal, a gem with nearly limitless power of growth and healing and light. His birth was the beginning of a new Golden age, an age of expansion, of wealth, of understanding and true peace on our planet. Upon the full recognition of the Crystal's presence, wars ceased, paths of communication opened and four guardians were sent from the major sub-kingdoms to serve as the young prince's companions, confidants, and protectors; we called these four the Heavenly Kings._ "

"You mean us?" Moegi asked, his expression one of someone trying to believe something he knew to be impossible – a state of mind Mamoru identified with only too well at that moment.

Helios nodded, " _You served well, but shy of two decades into the Prince's lifetime, there came an unexpected attack from an unlikely foe, and… I'm not certain of the chain of events, but suddenly Earth was at war with the Moon Kingdom. Their warriors were strong, their senshi stronger, and their Queen, wielding the Silver Crystal, was strongest of them all. After the unexpected death of their Princess during what would be the final battle, a great, enormous power overcame us all. I was put in a stasis and have been up until the senshi awoke in this time and started collecting energy. It is my belief that they gather the energy to awaken their Queen, so that their Queen could finish the war that they started so many years ago and use the power of her Silver Crystal to enslave or end all life here on Earth._   _It was by sheer luck that I was able to hone in on your distinct energy signals and awaken the three of you. With West King out there somewhere, it gives me hope: our Prince might have been reborn as well, and with his power over the Golden Crystal, the Earth might just stand a chance._ "

His words echoed Mamoru's mind, the consequences weighing heavily. What if Helios wasn't right? What if their prince hadn't been reborn? What if it was just them, and their rebirth had been a fluke? What would become of Earth and its people then? "… We cannot let them gather any more energy." He stated, his tone ominous even to his own ears. "Just in case. And if it was our duty to protect our Prince, what better way is there than to never let him reawaken and fight this battle?"

"If we defeat the senshi, their Queen would never awaken and the whole point would be moot, right?" Moegi seconded, looking determined, yet pale, possibly remembering his defeat of the previous senshi. The feeling resonated; he would prefer not to end someone's life, even if they were on the side against innocence and the right to live, but if necessary he would do whatever he could to give everyone else a chance at life.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Hanada nodded, his pencil and notepad tucked away as he regarded them.

…

Mamoru stretched, picked up his bag, and headed home, nodding goodbyes to other members of the team as he left campus, making sure to wave back to Midori, who had been making efforts to make it to practice on time to train for their upcoming matches. The tall guy had heart and drive, that much was certain, and as it happened that goalie talent hadn't just been a fluke – time and time again, he expertly blocked the goal and sent the ball flying quite some distance down the field. At first Mamoru smiled along with everyone else when a teammate joked that Midori had been turned down one too many times and finally decided to get something to brag about before trying to get a girl, but the newfound effort made him think it was a personal challenge Midori was looking for, not an opportunity to show off. … Well, maybe some part of the latter. Some of his returns were a little extravagant. But useful, so to each his own.

The bus ride home was uneventful, if busy; he had nearly made it to his apartment before his watch went off. Pausing in the stairwell, he flipped the hands to 12 noon and kept walking, waiting to hear the other connection pull through before paying too much attention to the gadget; lately it had been going off at regular intervals – he had been trying to get them all together for some sort of practice, while Hanada tossed out some possible information gathered through mostly unreliable sources and Moegi complained about being too busy to do anything that wasn't absolutely urgent. When the static cleared he lifted his wrist to see two faces looking back at him, and immediately Hanada started talking. Mamoru stepped onto his floor and got out his keys as he walked down the hallway.

"Glad to have caught you both," Hanada stated, both a greeting and a soft poke at Moegi and his full schedule. Mamoru didn't have to glance down to know Moegi was scowling; instead he turned his keys in the lock and entered his apartment, stepping out of his shoes to be greeted by a curious Helios, who took up his usual position over his shoulder as a fourth participant in their conversation. "My parents have been invited to another fundraiser-slash-social party and I thought this one might be of interest to us."

Mamoru placed his schoolbag on the table and went into the kitchen, putting a kettle on for hot chocolate. "Yeah? How so?" he asked conversationally, not having any real interest in attending any sort of societal function in  _this_  lifetime, even if apparently he had been to a few previously. He didn't like to dwell too much on the idea of having a previous life; Helios had mentioned something about recovering memories someday, but Mamoru would be fine if they were never returned. He was Chiba Mamoru, honor student and soccer player, looking towards a future in the hard sciences, either in medicine or physics; no matter what happened in a previous life, this is who he was; being the leader of the Prince of Earth's guard would have little effect on his life once the current threat was defeated. With any luck, the prince he was to guard would never know of this troubling time and the guy could continue with his new life as (apparently) planned.

"Well, you might not believe it, but the party is at one of the local consulates to host a viewing of an extremely rare and recently discovered crystal owned by a notable family from another country," Hanada replied.

"And?" Moegi prompted impatiently.

"And it happens to be an extremely rare gem the color of  _molten gold_ , that's what!"

Helios was instantly at his shoulder again, " _You don't think-_?"

"I was going to ask you, actually," Hanada replied, with a small hint of smugness, "But if you think we should check it out, I can secure a few more invitations…"

" _When is it?_ "

"Well… tonight, actually." Hanada replied with a hint of apology. Mamoru nearly dropped the mug he was pulling out of a cabinet – there went any plans of getting ahead on classwork.

"TONIGHT?! And you think I could just get away, did you?!" Moegi growled exasperatedly, "And, let me guess, it's a formal attire affair? Not everyone's made of money, Hanada! You can't just expect us to have tuxedos hiding up our sleeves!"

"Hey, I don't either," Hanada shot back, but before he could escalate the situation any further, Mamoru asked,

"Moegi,  _can_  you get out tonight?"

The blonde glanced away from the communicator screen for a moment, then looked back with a somewhat sullen expression, "I don't have anything scheduled tonight; I'd just have to clear it with my parents. But somehow I don't think "I want to go to a ball!" is going to fly with them."

"Make something up – say you're seeing a math tutor or something. I'll vouch for you," Mamoru suggested. Moegi scowled at the implication but nodded nonetheless. "Hanada, is there any way you could arrange for the proper clothing for Moegi and me?"

Hanada shrugged, "Sure, well, all but one thing, anyway. It's a masquerade – I can get you guys into a pair of tuxedos from our tailor, but you'd be on your own for the masks." Mamoru opened his mouth but Hanada beat him to the punch, "And don't bother asking about using our uniform masks – they fade away with the transformation."

Mamoru sighed at the inconvenience and went back to the table to grab his wallet, then to the doorway for his shoes. "I'll go get masks, then. Who needs one?"

"I've got one," both said as one. Hanada quirked a brow, probably at Moegi's response, then continued, "I'll call ahead to the tailor to get a few tuxes out for altering. Think you could swing by in about an hour? I'll pick the two of you up from there."

…

He wove through the crowd as best he could, glancing into shops as he passed for any sign of costume work – where does one buy a mask, anyway? The shopping district was filled with people on their way home, which didn't make his task any easier, but, as he spied the blonde girl peering through a storefront window with her hands around her eyes, the timing did make things interesting. He worked his way over to her and joined her at the window, using his hands to cancel the glare to see what she was looking at. It was a pet shop. Right in front, playing in a giant presentation case, was a litter of kittens. He couldn't help the smile on his face – kittens were… Kittens were – well, kittens were kittens and he had a soft spot for the fuzzy, curious, playful little things with their tiny heads and big attitudes. Tearing his eyes away – his apartment complex didn't look fondly on pets – he turned to Tsukino Usagi. "Is the Dumpling Head getting a pet?"

She jolted as if startled, turning to look at him with a surprised look on her face; but that expression quickly turned to something like indifference as she muttered, "Oh, it's you," and turned back to the glass.

"Don't look so excited to see me; people might get the wrong idea," he returned, a little hurt by her brush-off but not really expecting anything more; they were casual acquaintances, brought together through her perpetual clumsiness. He liked her energy, her general cheerfulness peppered with impassioned outbursts at his prods – and right now, looking through the glass so calmly, she seemed very un-Tsukino-like. After a beat, curiosity prodded him to ask, "Who did you think I was? Does everyone call you "Dumpling Head"?"

She glared over at him with a small scowl – that was more like her. "No," she growled, "only  _you_  seem to be that cruel."

"Glad to hear it," he replied, with a small shrug, "But if it wasn't another adoring fan of your hairstyle, who did you think I was?"

She considered him suspiciously, an eyebrow arching delicately over her blue eyes before she looked back to the petshop window, not leaning in as before but staring at the mix of interior and her reflection. "My dad," she said in a smaller voice, "He sometimes comes home this way and I've been bugging him lately about getting a pet. He told me  _'no'_  several times already because my little brother doesn't like them, but… I don't know," she looked back at him, her expression wistful and a little sad, "I've just always wanted a cat."

Her voice wavered at the last and it was like he couldn't breathe. He didn't like seeing her this way – it was like the world was broken all of the sudden; Tsukino was happiness and over-the-top silliness and not - not  _this_. She wasn't sad. She shouldn't be sad _._ Her eyes flickered from him nervously and she turned away and lifted her hand to her face, scrubbing momentarily with the sleeve of her school uniform. Turning back to him, a fake smile plastered on her face, she said, "Sorry, it's dumb. I'll see you—"

"Let's go play with them," he suggested, lightly taking her arm and pulling her along into the shop. Even as the bell was still echoing in the doorway, he had a kitten in her hands and a smile was growing on her lips. He wasn't that great with cheering people up – it wasn't exactly a skill he had acquired – but kittens… well, kittens could make anyone smile. As she held the little thing, it mewed and batted at her and she laughed and its head with a finger. He smiled and picked one up himself – a black and white kitten to her gray, and they stood there together for a few minutes, playing with kittens in the petshop window and exclaiming over their mischievous actions. When she seemed to have fully recovered, all traces of sadness erased, he stretched his kitten out and sat it on her head between her pigtails. She laughed, looking up through her bangs as the paws grabbed at her hair and started cleaning it, and handed him her kitten to pull his off, strands of hair coming with it.

"So,  _Chiba_ ," she asked, as if suddenly remembering whom she was with, "Do you  _often_  come out to play with kittens in petshops?"

The tease reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing. Holding the kitten securely, he twisted his wrist to look at his watch and scowled at the time – he had just under twenty minutes to find a mask and get to Hanada's tailor in time.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He looked back up to her, considering – who would know this shopping district better than a local girl? "Do you know where I could find a mask?"

…

Just over twenty five minutes later, Mamoru stepped though the door to the tailor's store with a small smile on his face and a little bag in his hand, a simple white mask within. He had been right – Tsukino knew exactly where to go; it turned out her father, a reporter, had been invited to the 'gala' as well and she had gone with him to get his outfit. She was disappointed to find out Mamoru wasn't going in a full-out costume, but Mamoru wasn't exactly sure her idea of a masquerade and the visiting noble family's idea of a masquerade were the same thing.

"You're late," Hanada greeted him, and Mamoru shook his head unbelievably.

"Where's Moegi?" he asked instead, ignoring the comment as he dropped the bag on a small table in the plush little store.

"Back with Pierre. This is Jacques," Hanada introduced as a short, well-dressed man appeared from behind a luxurious-looking green curtain, "He'll be helping you with tonight's attire."


	5. Mamoru in peril? Trouble at the Mysterious Masquerade!

A limousine. He was riding in a limousine, wearing a tuxedo, on the way to a masquerade ball. Mamoru Chiba fidgeted with his cuffs, wondering if  _anyone_  would be more out of place than he at that moment. Outside the window the landscape had changed from urban to suburban, both distance between houses and the sheer size of the mansions growing until, at last, farther up the road he saw a spacious estate lit up with a warm, welcoming glow. Out front, limousines and town cars paused for their patrons to exit before driving away; occasionally a valet would take the keys from a guest and drive their car away to be parked. The guests, even from this distance, were well-dressed and obviously well-to-do. "Well," he said, turning to his companions within the car, "We're here."

Moegi, cocking a brow, leaned over to catch a glimpse of their destination, his arms still folded tightly across his chest as he surveyed the place. He looked impressed for a moment, but then shrugged indifferently. Sitting straight in his seat, he asked, "So, what's the plan?"

Hanada smirked and shook his head at Moegi's attempt at disinterest, then leaned forward into the small center aisle to speak conspiratorially, "Plan is to find that Golden Crystal the family is showing and see if Helios gets any vibes off of it. If he does, we see what we can find out about the family. Hopefully it's just a false alarm and their Golden Crystal isn't our Golden Crystal and our Prince hasn't reawakened to find himself in the midst of a war. If it is, well…"

"We keep him safe until we deal with the senshi," Mamoru finished matter-of-factly, leaning back into the seat to stare at the mansion. He was nervous, a little on-edge; while part of him wanted to meet this Prince from another lifetime, the Prince whose life changed the fate of Earth, part of him willed this excursion to be a false alarm. So much had happened already; he'd prefer to deal with this one giant complication rather than a slew of others that the Prince's awakening might bring. Right now, the enemy was concerned only with gathering energy, and that took stealth and planning and he and the other Kings had been dealing with that alright; if the Dark Kingdom – the  _Moon_ Kingdom, he reminded himself as his eyes glanced involuntarily to the sky above – realized that the leader of their enemy had been reborn, he guessed subtly wouldn't be an option anymore. It would be all-out war, and, if things transpired as they did in days of ancient Europe, the object of the attacks would turn to killing the Prince first and then collecting energy. He paused in his musing – if the Prince was reborn and reawakened and the Golden Crystal intact, would that mean that modern-day Earth would have a singular ruler? Would their Prince from the Golden Age take his place as King of Earth? If the crystal were reborn with him, Mamoru supposed the Prince might have the power and perhaps the birthright, but would he want to wade through the hassle of uniting the world? Would he settle for just one nation? … if he did intend to pursue a life of royalty, did he, Mamoru, want to help him? Would he be forced to out of honor and duty either way?

The limousine stopped and the door beside him opened. With a quick reminder from Hanada, Mamoru stepped out of the limousine placing the simple white mask on his face, and their night of investigation began.

Within they were shown through expansive foyers and living rooms and into a grand ballroom with marble floors and impressive chandeliers hanging overhead. Though the masked crowd was numerous and in good humor, Mamoru could still hear the sounds of a small orchestra playing classical waltzes across the room. Large glass doors swung outward into a garden showered in light, trees and furniture kissed with miniature bulbs that lent everything an ethereal feel. Despite his earlier trepidation, Mamoru couldn't help but feel like he had been somewhere like this before; he had somewhere experienced a scene like this, with well-dressed people dancing in ornate rooms to music that flowed like wind and water... It was odd and disorienting, like his mind was trying to overwrite the scene or correct it in some way, trying to make everything match some memory that was just out of reach. The colors? No, the layout? … The people? His vision blurred lines as his head started to ache, fighting what he was seeing. But then someone was at his shoulder, and turning only slightly he addressed, " _Zoic_ —" …what was he saying? He shook his head, fighting to clear it from the heavy haze, and corrected himself. "Hanada, what's up?"

Hanada's expression behind the green mask was puzzled, but he handed something over to Mamoru without asking what the mixup had been. "Here; plan's changed a bit." A hand-sized Helios was suddenly on his palm as Hanada continued, "My parents are meeting the family so I'm going with them to see what I can learn. Moegi's stuck – one of his teachers is here and intent upon showing him around."

"Great," Mamoru commented, glancing around to see their blonde teammate working hard to mask the look of general discomfort about him as an older gentlemen led him around, loudly introducing him to people. Mamoru smiled – finally, a downside to Moegi's 'success'. "Well," he said, turning back to Hanada, "Message me if you find out anything interesting."

"Same to you," Hanada replied, then retreated into the crowd.

Mamoru's eyes returned to the room, looking around for any pedestal or general viewing area where the family might have the gem on display, trying not to return the stare of people who looked from the unisus 'toy' in his hands to him. "Do I absolutely  _need_  to carry you around like this? I look really strange and it's drawing people's attention," he whispered, trying to keep his lips still and gaze steady so they didn't think he was talking to himself, too.

" _Well, huh, I don't know. Do you absolutely_ need _to see if that Golden Crystal is the real thing?_ " Helios snarked back and Mamoru resisted the urge to drop him.

"Do you sense it in here? How close do you need to be to sense it?" Mamoru asked, again in the ventriloquist manner. Spying a stair that led to a balcony overlooking the event, he walked that way, thinking a bird's eye view would better suit his purpose.

" _It's usually best if I can see it,_ " Helios commented.

"Can't you just teleport to other parts of the house and scope things out without an escort?" Mamoru asked very quietly, skirting by a larger group of guests.

" _Do you think I enjoy being paraded around as one might a child's toy? I can only teleport places I have seen before, so no, I'm afraid I'm stuck with you for the time being._ "

"What if I just get you out of sight – could you fly off then?"

"Yeah, Little Pegasus, could you fly then?"

Mamoru jumped, grabbing the railing just in time to save him from slipping down the stairs as the cheerful, teasing voice surprised him from behind. He turned on the listener and, when the burst of adrenaline faded, easily recognized the hairstyle and the smile beneath the red jeweled mask. "Dumpling Head," he started, trying to sound casual despite his rapidly beating heart, "What are you doing here?"

She pouted, turning her head up and away and putting her hands on her hips as she quoted his earlier line back to him, "Don't look so excited to see me; people might get the wrong idea." He couldn't help but smile, collecting himself to better interact with her. Her appearance was unexpected, but he was in-touch with himself enough to recognize that his quickened pulse wasn't due solely to her abrupt scare. Blue eyes slid over through her bright red mask to land on him and she softened, the smile returning as she looked back to him. Grinning mischievously she admitted, "My dad felt so bad about the cat business that he got an extra ticket so I could come with him tonight," and motioned to a crowd of people with notepads and cameras off to one side, mingling and waiting for something to happen. Quickly, remembering his duty, he looked around them for a door, hidden or otherwise, that might lead to the room holding the crystal; however, it seemed as though the room had only four exits – the garden, the main entrance, the doors Hanada had disappeared through, and the door at the top of this staircase. "So what's with the Pegasus?" she invited, eyeing Helios curiously.

Thinking quickly, he improvised with the first thought that came to mind. "I thought I'd bring something just in case it was a masquerade like you had imagined." She smiled, looking a little confused still. "You know," he clarified, "Like a costume party." Spying the tiny tiara tucked onto the crown on her head, he raised his brow at it to indicate the feigned similarities in their situation.

She glanced up as if she could see her crown if she tried hard enough, then furrowed her brow at Helios again, "Yeah, but… what is your costume? Mythical beast tamer?"

" _HOW INSULTING!_ "

"I was thinking more like Bellerophon," he improvised, wondering if she had noticed Helio's affronted wing-twitch, or that his red eyes now glared over at her, but it looked like their secret was safe.

"Ballerophon?" she repeated, sounding as though the word had given her trouble. She looked back to Helios with interest, so he offered him to her. She took him and started examining it closely, petting the feathers on Helios's wings delicately before poking the skin on his chest.

" _Yeah, great idea there, "Bellerophon", let's submit your guardian to a thorough poking and prodding. It's not like he feels it."_  Helios was turned completely upside down as Tsukino prodded his hooves,  _"Or knows where you sleep."_

Ignoring Helios's plight, Mamoru explained the reference. "He was a hero-prince of ancient Greece who killed the fire-breathing Chimera after gaining the trust of the white Pegasus," he said, deciding not to go on as she had stopped listening already. He didn't mind. Smiling, she offered Helios to him, but he had a better idea. Handling the unisus gently, he slung him over her shoulder, mimicking the way she had carried a kitten earlier that day. "There," he said, as if admiring his handiwork, "He looks good on you."  _Much better than on me, in any case._

She smiled, "He? I think it's a she," she stated cheerfully, glancing down at Helios almost fondly.

"Yeah?" he asked with some amusement, sensing Helios's indignation even without words.

She smiled, "Yep; I think I'll call her Luna."

"Luna?" he repeated with a returned smile as the two of them started ascending the stairs together. He wondered if she knew where the name came from, and at the same time enjoyed the antithesis of the name – Helios, the male Sun, was renamed Luna, the female Moon.

" _No one hears of this._ " Helios growled.

And so Helios's new nickname was solidified.

"It means the moon or something," Tsukino explained sheepishly, her fingers brushing against each other in a cute manner. "I just like the sound of it," she was blushing, clearly embarrassed though he didn't know why. They had reached the top of the curved stair; the crowd was thicker near the railing as people watched the party from above, enjoying the music as it filled the room. A caterer brushed past, offering champagne and some sort of cracker; Mamoru took a moment to glance through the slightly ajar doors to see a lit room beyond, wondering if people were usually allowed to explore farther into the house or if it were off limits. "I'll see you later" Tsukino said suddenly, turning to go down the stairs opposite those they had ascended together. "Thanks for letting me borrow your plushie!" she exclaimed, the familiar tone signaling her intention of running off in a moment.

To stop her, he reached out and took her hand gently, "Care for a dance before you leave?" he offered, not wanting her to go just yet. The world just seemed a little brighter when she was around, and being with someone a little more out of place than he was encouraging. But then… there was something about her that did belong, and it wasn't the princess dress she wore. Who was this girl, this annoying yet adorable middle-schooler that plagued the shopping district with her clumsiness and loud protestations, and yet at times, like earlier that afternoon, seemed so lonely and lost? He wanted – he  _needed_  to know more about her, and that moment of confusion in her eyes was enough of an invitation for him. He used his hand on hers to pull her in closer, to spin her around once and settle back into the music, guiding her into a waltz. She was light on her feet in spite of her usual clumsiness – she seemed as bewildered by the fact as he – and in moments she was gliding through the waltz nearly as well as his school's instructor had. "I didn't know you danced," he commented with a smile, leading them away from the crowded balcony.

"I didn't, either," she replied, tripping for the first time. He chuckled, adjusting so she didn't fall completely, and managed to get them back on beat. Less than thirty seconds later she tripped again; he was able to recover them but she laughed and let go, "I'm jinxed now – I keep trying not to trip and it's making me trip even more!"

"I don't mind," he replied, missing her hand in his.

She blushed a little and her eyes slid away from him. Her brows furrowed suddenly in curious fascination, "What do you think is back there?" she asked.

An idea sparking to life, Mamoru turned, hoping his hunch was correct, and found the ajar door right behind them. "Want to find out?"

" _What are you doing?!_ " Helios exclaimed as Tsukino smiled mischievously and straightened, inching her way towards the door and, in the process, drawing more attention to herself in her attempt to be inconspicuous than Mamoru could have imagined. A caterer turned an inquisitive eye on her and Mamoru subtly mimed that Tsukino was sick. The man raised a brow and pointed subtly straight and then to the left; silent directions probably to the bathroom. He nodded in mock appreciation to the man and caught up to the girl just as she squeezed through the door. He opened the door and shut it behind them.

"Did they see us?" she asked, eyes wide with nervous excitement.

"I don't think so," he lied, hiding a smile. After gazing about the room and finding no sign of any golden crystal, he moved to the doorway to an adjacent room and tilted his head, "Shall we?"

Searching through the mansion for the whereabouts of the Golden Crystal with Tsukino was actually fun; it turned a routine search-and-go into somewhat of an adventure. As they peeked and peered into dark rooms she would exclaim or make the odd entertaining remarks – upon finding the library, for example, as his mind nearly shut down taking in the overwhelming volume of written works, Tsukino looked around for a moment, sighed, and turned on her heel muttering "waste of a good room." He was able to ditch Helios once they were several rooms in; Tsukino paused to look at the large tapestries hanging about the room and put the 'stuffed animal' down to mimic the pose of a woman in one of the pieces. Mamoru urged Tsukino on and she forgot about the unisus. As he shut the door behind them, Helios shook his wings and took to the air, forming a second team to search for the crystal.

The term 'mansion' fit the estate perfectly; they must have been roaming the halls for well over half an hour without reaching the other end, or finding other guests. On several occasions they spotted a maid and snuck past; he took Tsukino's hand to lead her through without notice, but in one case they were caught anyway and ended up racing down hallways, up another set of stairs and into a vacant room to escape. As they stood quietly in the dark, trying their hardest to be silent as they caught their breath and listened intently for the maid's footfalls, Mamoru's eyes met Tsukino's and he had the strangest feeling that something like this had happened before. She smiled, still breathing heavily; he smiled back, trying unsuccessfully to shake déjà vu. She started to giggle and he put his fingers to his lips to remind her to be quiet, but that just made her laugh louder. Her hands shot to her mouth to quiet herself just as footsteps reached the top of the stairs and bustled towards their door. Eyes wide, Tsukino held her breath as Mamoru considered their options, and the footsteps continued past them. They waited tensely, but after a minute of silence he considered them safe. He reached for the door just as the lights flicked on. He turned suddenly, expecting to discover that the maid had another entrance into the room, but instead found Tsukino exploring the room curiously.

"I've never seen a bedroom so big!" she commented, spreading her arms wide to spin in a circle around the space. He nodded appreciatively; his entire apartment could fit inside the space with room to spare, and that wasn't including whatever closets or bathrooms hid behind the closed doors spread throughout the room. The bed was large, at least King sized, and covered in plush red velvet, canopied in material that reached the floor; all of the furniture was made of dark wood and bedecked with golden knick-knacks, from mirrors to music boxes and figurines. A fireplace stood in one wall, a balcony extended through glass doors on another; above the mantle was a picture of a family with a familiar-looking young boy. As Mamoru tried to place him, an alarm went off on his watch. He grabbed it, hoping to stifle the electronic beeping, but Tsukino turned inquisitively.

"It's an alarm," he explained apologetically, "I'm supposed to be meeting some friends." She nodded as his mind raced, wondering who had called and why – had Helios found the Golden Crystal? Did Hanada discover something interesting about the visiting family? He glanced back up at the painting and saw her waiting for him, her eyes thoughtful, her gloved hands hanging loosely by her sides, the jewels in her red mask shining like fire in the lamp light. Her dress, long and white and pink, looked no worse for wear, despite their running around and exploring. With the flush in her cheeks and the smile playing at her lips, she really was beautiful. For a moment he considered ignoring the summons and playing hooky with her for the rest of the night, but as the watch beeped again she walked past him, turning off the lights as she passed the switch, and opened the door.

Returning to the ballroom took considerably less time, despite getting turned around once or twice, but once they found the first room Mamoru hesitated, holding his arm out to stop Tsukino from continuing forward as he listened, a chill washing over him. He felt her eyes on him, but he had to concentrate – what was wrong? Then it hit him – it was too quiet. He could hear the ticking of the grandfather clock across the room, where before the orchestra and crowd noise was only mildly muffled by the double doors.

"It's quiet," Tsukino observed, a tense note in her voice that he had never heard before. She was looking at the door intently, her stance straighter, more grounded, and Mamoru realized that even with all the time they had spent together tonight, he was nowhere near understanding who she really was. Her eyes looked over at him and her demeanor changed again, her nose crinkling as a faint blush crept over her cheeks, "Do you think someone's giving a speech?" she asked with distaste, back to her usual self.

He shrugged, but then went with it as his watch sounded for the fifth time since they left the third floor and he went with it. "More than likely; they were going to be presenting something tonight, so this could be the family's introduction. Do you want to go see?" he asked, hoping he was right in assuming she wouldn't.

She shook her head and he felt relieved. There might not be time enough to make up another excuse for her not to go in there. He had a bad feeling. "My dad can fill me in if it's interesting," she replied, edging backwards. She smiled, "I'll see you later, Mamoru-kun," and waved before leaving the room. He wondered briefly where she had gone, but as his watch sounded again he tried to put all thoughts of the blonde aside. Should he open the communication channel, or look inside the room? In any case, he turned to make sure she had really left and, seeing she had, grabbed his pendant and, just above a whisper, called, "Pyrite Power, Transform."

Cardinal King hesitated only a moment more before making his decision; he needed to see what was going on, then he would answer the call. Stepping forward quietly, he inched open the door, finding it moved easily under his grasp, and peered into the room through his mask. The balcony was piled with bodies that barely breathed. The Moon Kingdom was here. He slipped through the door and fell into a crouch, trying to keep out of sight as he attempted to survey the area. Everything was quiet but for some commotion near the gardens; he crept forward to see if he could find out what was going on. The ballroom floor was a mess of bodies, people slumped over tables and on each other on the dance floor, the orchestra collapsed on their instruments or on the floor beside them. The doors to the garden stood open, though several of the glass panes had been smashed. A muffled swear sounded from outside. He crept carefully down the stairs, watching to keep his feet away from stray fingers as he fought for purchase.

As soon as his feet hit the floor he moved quickly to the garden entrance, but halfway there his watch sounded again, startlingly loud in silence of the ballroom. " _You idiot!_ " someone yelled from outside as a giant shadowy form flew into the room and a white bolt of lightning flashed towards him. He jumped out of the way just in time, but the cloud with sinister green eyes followed his every move as he ducked and dodged his way outside, the lightning hot on his tail.

" _Find a tree!"_  It was Moegi, and Mamoru was quick to take the suggestion. With a leap, he jumped into a tree and worked his way behind the trunk, hoping the advice was sound and tested. Sure enough, the cloud seemed to lay off. He looked around until he spotted South King, his back pressed to the trunk of a neighboring tree and looking remarkably unhappy. "Next time I call you,  _answer!_ "

"What is going on?" He returned, ignoring Moegi's tone. He was right – Mamoru should have answered, but they could talk about that later. He looked around for Hanada but didn't see him anywhere. Guilt and fear took him for a moment – had something happened because he wasn't there? "Where's North King?"

" _Over here!_ "

He felt better, but that still didn't solve anything. What were they facing? How could he hit a cloud of darkness with a rose or a sword? Would South's fire work on it? Would Helios know? "Where's Helios? Has he found the crowd's energy?"

"Yeah, but he can't take full control of it until this phantom disappears, and our best plan was having you surprise it and hope for the best and that's out of the question now. So any thoughts,  _fearless leader_?"

Moegi was being a jerk but he probably wasn't used to being in any tight situations, Mamoru rationalized, his mind turning to strategy. Things didn't look so good, but maybe the fire would work against the darkness. Regardless, trying nothing wouldn't get them anywhere. "Look, have one of those knives ready, got it?" He shifted his weight and peered around the trunk to find the aberration. Spotting a darkness amongst the tiny lights in the trees across from him, he dropped and dashed out towards it, summoning a rose.

"You think we haven't tried that?!" South King yelled just as the green eyes of the cloud found Mamoru. He should really learn to communicate before acting. A bolt of lightning shot towards him and he dodged just in time, but the cloud moved fast and his exit was cut off. Throwing knives whizzed through the air to land in the trees, travelling through the cloud harmlessly as Mamoru dodged another strike. "I told you it didn't – MAMORU WATCH OUT!"

Mamoru groaned as a tight sensation jumped up his leg and seized his muscles. He fell, but as he fell he twisted to throw the rose up at the dark mass, certain that it wouldn't have any effect but trying nonetheless, for spite if nothing else. He had been stupid in so many ways and now his mistakes might cost them everything. As another bolt struck him his lower half went numb, energy pulled right out of him and absorbed into the cloud, the angry green eyes bearing down on him maliciously. North King rolled out from behind a tree and advanced threateningly on the black mass, his whip raised, but there was nothing he or South could do. "Find Helios and go!" Mamoru yelled through his teeth, his jaw clenched tightly as he stared Hanada down, "Find some way to stop this! Save the Prince!" Hanada hesitated, but Mamoru still held the cloud's attention. He had failed them, but he could at least afford them some time to escape. "Cardinal Rose," he called, energy leaving him faster as the rose materialized in his hand. It was dumb – people were dying all around him, his teammates were down one and facing a threat they didn't know how to defeat, and their Prince could be somewhere around here, his life energy being drained away by this evil presence sent by the Moon Kingdom – but the thought that came to his sluggish mind as he threw the rose was about dumpling head. About her stupid taunting faces and that sweet smile she gave him earlier that night when she said goodbye. It felt like something heavy was sitting on his chest and arms; all he wanted to do was sleep. As his vision blurred and the lights swam before him, he hoped he could see her again.

"TWILIGHT FLASH!"


	6. Who is the Prince? Theories point the way!

"I think he's coming to," a voice said as fingers snapped over his head. "Hey! Chiba!" the voice repeated loudly, "Hey! You awake?" His mind cleared groggily, but he could make out Hanada's uncovered face, both North King mask and masquerade mask gone. His eyebrows were raised in concern as he repeated, "Chiba Mamoru, are you awake?" Mamoru nodded and Moegi yelled over his shoulder, "He's fine!"

"What's going on?" Mamoru asked, pulling himself up onto his elbow. His Cardinal King attire was gone, replaced by the tuxedo of the evening, the white shirt and black suit smudged with dirt and grime. Hanada and Moegi were dressed similarly; apparently the crisis was over.

"Paramedics have arrived. Everyone's waking up – so far no major injuries, but they're still checking everyone against the guest list to make sure no one is missing." Hanada explained, rocking back on his heels. A faint smile played at his lips as he eyed the crowd, a story already writing itself. Mamoru shook his head, his hand reaching for his temple as the world swam a bit.

"The attack?" he inquired, looking around the garden to see broken benches and tables, tree trunks singed but otherwise okay. Workers were already sweeping the glass away from the broken doors and inside the ballroom a mess of activity found guests with blankets over their shoulders being checked over by paramedics as party officials buzzed around with warm drinks. Looking around he didn't see her, but she was sure to be okay; she hadn't even been near the ballroom. Tsukino was fine, probably with her father.

"Jewel Tiara appeared and used an ability that dissipated the cloud," Hanada said. Mamoru was instantly back in the conversation, watching Hanada almost as closely as Hanada was watching him. There was something curious in his eyes, almost as if the blonde wanted answers but wondered if Mamoru would actually give them. Confused, Mamoru waited for the question, but Moegi spoke first.

"Just in time, too," he commented, breaking their stare, "Your dumb-ass was done-for. Great job on communicating with your  _teammates_ , Chiba, so glad there was a  _collaborativ_ e effort." His blue eyes were in a solid glare, irritation radiating off of him in waves. At first Mamoru's pride riled against the accusation, gearing up with anger and a quick comment, but Hanada interrupted before he could express his distaste with the latest addition to their little group.

"Ha! He was worried about you," Hanada snorted with a smirk.

The anger died down immediately, turning into mild annoyance in the pit of his stomach as his rational side won. Moegi's irritation didn't stem from being ignored, but from being afraid. It seemed Moegi, despite his outer appearance of disdain and annoyance at everything, was perhaps the most affected by the battles and their role as warrior-protectors; he had called out to stop the fire that consumed their enemy, Sailor Mars, and all the earlier outbursts were probably just nerves. Mamoru made a mental note to check the possibilities before biting off Moegi's head. At least until there were a few more battles under South King's belt. Instead he smiled teasingly, "Aww, Moegi, I didn't know you cared!"

"Shut up," Moegi growled halfheartedly, his eyes sliding back to the ballroom entrance for a moment before rounding on Mamoru again, "What would have happened, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Mamoru asked, sitting up slowly, his head spinning only marginally now.

"He would've died," Hanada answered, guessing Moegi's meaning effortlessly. "If that being had disappeared and taken the energy back to the Dark Kingdom – "

"The  _Moon_ Kingdom," Mamoru interjected. It was important that they know their enemy and not give them the luxury of hiding behind ominous monikers.

Hanada nodded to accept the correction and continued, "- it would have been beyond us to recover. These people, Chiba included, would have died by morning." Hanada's statement, fierce yet matter-of-fact, was one that Mamoru tried to let slip past him without a second thought, but the words hung on stubbornly, fighting to get to him.

" _Or ended up in critical condition with just the slightest of chances of survival_ ," Helios offered telepathically, his voice fading in as though joining them from a distance, " _depending on how much energy was pulled._ "

A feeling of general unease took hold of him and pulled, but before the conscious thought of his death could surface, as his mind tried to grab hold of anything to distract him, he felt the sudden urge to find her – Usagi Tsukino. Things would be okay, somehow, as long as he found her. Inexplicably yet assuredly okay. "Well, on that cheerful note," he commented sarcastically as he pulled himself carefully to his feet, "I'm going to go check on something. I'll see you guys later." He left, walking towards the broken glass of the ballroom without looking back.

"Check on what?" Moegi scoffed as he stood and started to follow.

"He's right! The prince – the family hadn't presented their golden crystal yet."

Mamoru was outdistancing them but he could still hear Hanada's reply and he felt marginally guilty for not correcting them, and guilty again for not joining them. The mission had to come first – everything hinged upon this secret war,  _everything_ , and he should be working nonstop to perform at his best. He paused just inside the doorway, his shoes crunching on the glass, and hesitated. But as his eyes slid over the crowd, the orchestra, the media, that uneasy feeling from before returned, his nerves catching fire uncomfortably, urging him to run or fight. He had to keep moving, no matter what option he chose – those thoughts were not pleasant company. Thoughts of darkness, of nonexistence –

Before he knew it he was halfway up the stairs, heart beating furiously in his chest as unsteady party-goers moved aside to let him through. This wasn't a game. He reached the landing and turned, going through the doors as they opened to emit a caterer, the same from before. The blond man stepped aside, holding the door for Mamoru to go through. He nodded automatically in thanks, his mind remembering the draining sensation and heaviness from before as it threatened again with the idea of what could have happened, what had  _almost_  happened, and –

"Mamoru-kun!" Her voice. His mind stopped, back-wheeling to return to the real world as Usagi Tsukino rushed towards him, the warmth about her somehow absolving him of his apprehensions. He drank in the sight of her as a castaway would solid land, feeling centered and strong again as the tiaraed girl, so vibrant and filled with life, reaffirmed that he was alive. Holding the long skirts of her dress as she rushed forward, her long hair bouncing behind her, she skidded to a stop just in front of him and paused to catch her breath. Her hands rose to her chest as she breathed, a guilty smile on her lips. "Hey," she managed after a moment, straightening and wringing her hands together nervously. "I'm really sorry, but I just can't find Luna anywhere. I went back through the rooms we went in and she's just not anywhere – "

Mamoru interrupted her with the most forward thing he had ever done. In one step he closed the distance between them and pulled her close, at that moment needing to feel her. "I hoped I would run into you again," he admitted softly.  _Why her?_  What was it about her that made him feel stronger all of the sudden? He felt now like he could turn around and fight again, as though his brush with death had been nothing, so long as she was safe. She knew nothing about his other life; she couldn't relate to it in the slightest, so why and how could just being with her comfort him so much? What was it about her that made him need to reach for her?

"The same for me," she replied quietly, a smile in her tone. He pulled back slowly, his mind racing with what their dialog implied and yet moved sluggishly as time seemed to stop. She tilted her face towards his and as her eyes found his he realized his answer. … it was just her. Everything about her, from her forward gestures and over-the-top reactions and their silly arguments to how well she seemed to click with him; whenever she was around he felt better – more complete – and while she threw him off guard he always went away feeling as though he knew himself better. She represented everything normal and good in his life, and everything they were fighting to save. And there was still so much about her he didn't know or understand… His lips were inches from hers, her eyes closed softly…

"Usagi-chan!" the warning came seconds before the door behind them flew open. His eyes shot open, as did hers, but as the sound of the ballroom invaded their space, Usagi, on tiptoe, kissed him lightly before backing away. His heart thundered in his chest and his cheeks burned red as his hands instinctively reached out for her, wanting more; her touch had been like a tease and his mind spun as a feeling, warm and familiar and almost nostalgic, crept forward and instantly retreated again. But as her name was repeated, relief in the tone, he pulled himself back. "Usagi-chan! There you are!" She broke eye contact first as a tuxedoed man came forward to hug her firmly then push her backwards to look at her appraisingly, "Are you alright?" It must have been her father.

Usagi looked confused as she answered, "Yes… why?"

"Where have you been?!" the man, ignoring her question, asked, then turned suddenly on Mamoru, "And who is this young person?" he added, his tone distinctly suspicious and negative, as only a father's could be.

"Kenji-papa, this is Chiba Mamoru, a friend of mine," Usagi introduced, her body language hinting to him that he might want to go.

Not wanting to disappoint her, he nodded his head in greeting and in farewell, "It's nice to meet you, Tsukino-san. I must be going now. Good night," he smiled and was pleased to see Usagi blushing before he turned back towards the ballroom door, pretending he didn't hear Kenji's outburst of " _A friend of yours?! Just how did you meet this 'friend'?_ " As the door to the room closed behind him, Mamoru found himself nearly alone at the top of the stairs. Most of the party-goers had gone or were leaving, coats being claimed as workers strove to clean up the mess. The orchestra were packing their instruments, caterers putting their wares away; in the midst of it all stood Hanada and Moegi, looking around discontentedly. He descended the stairs and joined them.

"Anything?" Hanada asked with interest, though Moegi looked defeated.

He shook his head, "No, nothing." … if the Golden Crystal were here, surely Helios would have sensed it during his search earlier? And if not, the shadow creature hadn't found it, either. The night was a partial success in that regard, though they were no closer to discovering their missing Prince.

"Same here," Hanada sighed. "They called off the showing due to the attack, so no luck at all."

"If it hadn't been for that creature, this would've been a waste of a good night," Moegi complained as they walked towards the exit, the limousine incoming.

"Oh, lighten up, Moegi," Mamoru commented, his opinion of the night vastly different. The limousine stopped for them and a valet rushed to open a door. Mamoru thanked him and slid in, making way to let the others though. "This was much more exciting than your original plans, admit it."

"Hardly," the blond replied as he took a side-facing seat in the middle.

"Well you could take a cab home if you find this unsatisfactory," Hanada commented nonchalantly as the door closed. Hanada raised his hand and the limo paused, awaiting instruction.

At first Moegi did nothing but look back at them, distinctly not amused, but Hanada held his ground. After a moment the door was reopened by the valet, who asked, "Is anything wrong?" Mamoru chuckled quietly at Moegi's disbelieving face as Hanada waited, ignoring the man. Finally Moegi growled and answered, "No. Fine, this was better than my original plans. Can we go now?"

Hanada nodded, put his hand down, and turned to the valet, "Thank you anyway, but we're fine." The man nodded in return, closed the door, and the limousine pulled away, back towards Tokyo.

…

The late night on Thursday, combined with the events therein, made Friday's soccer practice a little more difficult than usual. Mamoru's attention was constantly fading in and out, switching from watching the ball and reacting to the game to thoughts of the close call last night and whether what had happened between Usagi and him had meant anything to her, and finally to general sleep-deprived disorientation and back again in random order. He was missing passes, shooting awkwardly, and nearly tripped over his own two feet once or twice before he took himself out of the scrimmage, apologizing to the team before sitting on the bench.

"Guys, I'm out, too," Midori, added, walking away from the net and shaking his head disappointedly. He joined Mamoru on the bench, yawning as he brought out his water bottle and took a swig. Mamoru paid him little attention, content on watching practice with a hazy mind until the coach dismissed them and he could go home, but Midori struck up a conversation. "Man, I'm just really out of it today. Had a late night last night; I thought I could handle it but I guess not." Mamoru hummed a reply, not entirely interested in Midori's conversation but offering some kind of reply nonetheless; their goalie's new dedication to the team was important to their league ranking and he didn't want to seem standoffish and risk making Midori feel alienated. Midori didn't seem to mind a nonsyllabic answer, "Yeah, should'a gone to bed earlier, but it couldn't be helped, you know?"

At that, Mamoru couldn't help but chuckle, "I know the feeling."

The practice ended not long after and they all parted ways. When Mamoru got back to his apartment he collapsed on his bed and slept for a few hours; when he awoke again he made himself dinner, did his homework, and fell back asleep, though something about earlier bothered him; when he awoke the next morning the realization hit him like an epiphany. He got up, dressed, and rummaged around for a copy of the school's paper from the teams' first win of the season to be sure. The black-and-white page was smudged from dried raindrops, but it was clear enough for his purpose; featured on the page was a team photo, blown up so each player was clearly recognizable. There, slightly to the right on the back row, was Midori. Mamoru studied the picture closely, then closed his eyes and brought to mind another picture, a painting found in a bedroom in the mansion they visited the other night… to him, the subjects appeared to be the same person. Midori… was it possible Midori was the child in the painting?

He turned the hands on his watch to noon and waited for Hanada to pick up – the newspaper did short biographies of transfer students, maybe there was something in there they could use to pick apart this stubborn theory… or support it. Because as of that moment, Mamoru was convinced that Midori, the overconfident goalie of the soccer team, could be their missing Prince. The connection was made and both Moegi and Hanada appeared on screen, Moegi wearing a school uniform while Hanada was dressed casually.

"What's up?" Moegi asked in a hushed whisper, "Has there been an incident?"

Mamoru thought a moment but eventually replied, "Well, no, not really."

"I'm in a debate; I'll catch up later." Moegi's image disappeared abruptly.

"Well I'm glad we didn't have to inconvenience him again," Hanada commented with good-natured sarcasm, "So, what  _is_  up?"

"Hanada, do you have access to previous newspaper articles?" Mamoru asked, getting straight to business.

"Yeah; I keep them all on a server accessible to all newspaper staff. Why?"

"Could you look up Midori? He transferred in earlier this year and I wondered about his background."

Hanada cocked a brow skeptically, but he disappeared from the holographic display. Mamoru took that time to pull out the team's contact information and find Midori's phone number; an address wasn't listed, but maybe it didn't have to be. Just as he grabbed a bowl for breakfast, Hanada's voice returned, though his picture was still missing. "Midori  _Nero_ ," Hanada snickered, "transfer student from…  _Yellowknife_ , Northwest Territories, Canada?!" Hanada read faster, mumbling some words until he got to the important parts, "soccer team… father native to Tokyo… mother - Natasha Vitka?! Wait, that name… hold on." Keys tapped as Hanada typed furiously. "No… Mamoru – you don't…" He returned on screen, his face serious and careful at the same moment. "Natasha Vitka, heiress to the Vitka diamond mines, who recently hosted a party at her Tokyo estate on Thursday night."

They stared at each other in silence, neither daring to speak first.

…

"So what prompted this outing?" Midori asked as he and Mamoru strode the street crowded with Saturday afternoon foot traffic.

' _An overprotective unicorn,_ ' was what Mamoru thought, but instead shrugged and replied, "Eh, I was bored and wanted to see how the other side lived." The vendors were out in droves, trying to drum up some business from the random passerby. Overall it was a nice afternoon, present situation aside. After his conversation with Hanada and their approach on Helios, Mamoru had been given the task of watching Midori. He was supposed to be feeling him out – seeing what he was really like and if he gave off any weird kind of aura, maybe see if he had any hidden latent abilities like Mamoru's healing, but overall it felt like he was babysitting and it threw him off. If Midori  _were_  the Prince, the Mamoru was just doing his job as Cardinal King by protecting him; but, then, the Dark Kingdom hadn't found Midori yet, so was he jinxing it by hanging out with him? The situation felt off…

Midori laughed, "You mean we-who-are-not-geniuses? I'm afraid to say the lives of the little people aren't all that entertaining, Mr. Top-Score Soccer-Star."

… but that didn't mean he didn't like the guy. Midori was a whole lot happier than either Moegi or Hanada; he had a good-natured humor and let jabs just slide off him, never taking anything too seriously. There were times that Mamoru sensed brief flashes of anger or embarrassment, but then Midori would just laugh it off and the emotions would evaporate again. He liked the contrast from the too-serious Moegi and briefly wondered how the two would get along; he supposed, if their reasoning was correct, he would find out eventually.

"You see, rather than whittle away our time with such exciting pastimes as studying and practicing, we little folk occupy ourselves with food," he held up the half-eaten vending-machine sandwich – while apparently loaded, the brunet seemed to have a thing for cheap staples - "girls," he turned and gave an over-obvious wink to a group of girls hanging around outside a little café called 'Crown Fruit Parlor'; while the gesture was over-the-top, he did catch their attention. Two laughed, one rolled her eyes, another blushed, but they all waved in some form at him. Midori waved back and turned abruptly, stopping at the entrance to a store with animated posters plastered to the windows, "and video games." Without seeing whether Mamoru wanted to play, Midori entered the "Crown Game Center", trashing his sandwich on the way in. Shrugging, Mamoru followed – there were worse ways to spend the afternoon.

When they parted ways for the evening - "You're not so bad, Chiba. We should hang out again sometime." – Mamoru went straight from the shopping district to a meeting with Helios, Hanada and Moegi to tell them about everything that happened, which was, pretty much, nothing unusual. He hadn't 'felt an aura' surrounding Midori, but then he hadn't sensed anything had been off about Hanada or Moegi, either, and unless talent with fighting games or being a good goalie was a supernatural skill, Midori didn't seem to have any extraordinary abilities, either. But then, too, it wasn't like Mamoru ran around showing random people that he could heal scrapes in seconds, he hadn't really even shown them as it hadn't been necessary yet; Midori could be hiding something spectacular and just be too humble to… well, never mind. Mamoru had the feeling that if Midori did have an extraordinary skill, he'd be showing it off left and right like he did his high score at the arcade. As Hanada mused aloud about protection possibilities, Mamoru wondered again if the "USAGI" that had the third highest score at the side-scrolling adventure game had been Tsukino Usagi, and, if it had, if she would realize the two new "CHIBA" scores below hers on that list were him.

At the end of the day, it was decided that Mamoru should keep a general eye on Midori, just in case, until Helios could study him properly and tell them for certain whether he was the Prince of Earth.

…

Midori apparently spent all day at home in bed on Sunday – or so the person who answered the phone told him - so Mamoru had the day free to himself; however, he didn't exactly have the greatest of excuses to hang around that arcade without one of its regulars showing him around, so he spent the day catching up on school work and preparing for the next week of lessons, losing himself in a book and a television special about the European dark ages. There wasn't much activity, Moon Kingdom-wise, that they could detect, so it was a lazy day for him, too.

On the way to Monday afternoon's soccer practice, Mamoru caught up to Midori and they walked together for most of the way, Midori making small talk about classes and teachers as Mamoru acted as his sound board, but as Mamoru turned for the locker room, Midori turned off in the other direction.

"Hey, Midori," Mamoru paused, looking back at him with an eyebrow raised, "Practice?" surely he hadn't forgotten – the schedule had been static for months.

"Yeah, sorry," Midori shrugged, "Can't today; my cousin's getting married and she's all creeped out by the bridal boutique she's buying her dress from and wants me to go with her since her mother's out of town."

"Why is she creeped out? A sales associate?" Mamoru asked, brows tightening; he had a certain kind of distaste for lechers.

"Nah," Midori negated, shrugging, "something about a ghost that steals bride's youth. It's ridiculous, but she's really superstitious and  _swears_  there's been news reports about people fainting there," he rolled his eyes. "I'm to bring prayer beads. Anyway, have a good practice, Chiba." He turned without waiting for a farewell and left the building, his bag swung over his shoulder in a familiar fashion.

"Hanada!" Mamoru hissed into the watch as soon as the blond's face appeared on screen. "Listen, could you look for any stories about haunted bridal boutiques?" he asked, trying to keep his voice down and stay unnoticed in the locker room as his teammates got ready for practice.

"Er… yeah, sure," Hanada replied, then disappeared as keystrokes echoed through the communication system.

"What kind of club are you  _in_?" Moegi inquired skeptically.

"The " _Hey, Midori's not coming to practice today because he's checking out a bridal boutique that_ steals energy  _from brides_!" club! Now what are you doing?"

In minutes, Hanada had a rough address and Moegi, being closest, was on his way, somehow forgetting to mutter and groan about his busy schedule being interrupted. At first, Mamoru just sat there in the locker room, looking down at his soccer cleats, trying to convince himself that it was all just some petty rumor made to either to drum up business for or steal business from that company. That the description was eerily similar to how the Moon Kingdom drained energy was simple coincidence. Or maybe even not – it could've been started by someone who had been through an attack and so was able to describe it with detail. In any case, the story was that the attacks only happened at night. And besides, Moegi was there. And, after all, they didn't even know if Midori was actually the Prince – it was all just supposition. He laced his shoe and stood; he made to take off his watch, but in the end decided to keep it on. "...as paranoid as the horse," he mumbled, pushing away from the bench and heading outside.

It was raining. Drizzling for now, but one look up hinted that the storm was just beginning. They were starting warm-ups in the field and Mamoru joined them, hoping the exercise would let him feel somewhat normal again; however, not half an hour into practice, his watch set off alarm after alarm, screaming at his wrist. Thunder rolled overhead and before Mamoru could make up an excuse to leave, the coach called practice for the storm. With barely a wave Mamoru was off the field and into their locker room, but rather than gather his things he went straight on through and out the side entrance. Once free of the building and prying ears, still walking towards the street, Mamoru dialed in the conversation.

South King appeared immediately, Hanada in a separate frame. "Attack at the bridal boutique!" South yelled before disappearing. Cutting the connection, Mamoru put on a burst of speed, his cleats drumming on the wet pavement as he reached the street, turned towards the shopping district, and kept running. When at last there was no one else around, the storm having driven everyone inside with its pouring rain and rumbling thunder, Mamoru ducked into a side alley and transformed. With the greater agility and speed of his guise as Cardinal King, Mamoru jumped from side to side up the walls of the alley and raced across rooftops the rest of the way. Streets were hard to keep up with from the different vantage point, but so much practice with it had tilted his perspective and with a few key marks, he soon found himself across from the bridal boutique in question. The building was impressively tall, accented by a life-sized mannequin of a bride seeming to leap towards the second-story windows – just as Mamoru jumped, those windows exploded outward.

Cardinal King rolled out of the way just as a creature with the body of a silkworm and the legs of a centipede landed behind him, one of its short and stubby limbs pinning his cape to the ground as the creature hissed in challenge, spitting threads that clung to Mamoru's cape and shirt. Spinning around, he kicked at the beast just as a whip cracked against its body. Recoiling from the blow, the monster unintentionally freed Mamoru and Cardinal King moved quickly to get away as his cape disappeared, momentarily locking eyes with North King in thanks. "Where is-?"

"Inside," North replied without needing to hear the rest, "He's safe."

"It went after the girls," South added, his daggers whizzing through the air to land on the beast as he joined them, burning its flesh despite the heavy rainfall; however, the daggers held for only a second before the monster's body transformed, turning its outer skin into a carapace that South's flaming daggers deflected off of easily. South growled. It turned and spat at them; North King sprang out of the way just as the sticky mess flew past, and South grabbed the back of Mamoru's jacket to pull him out of the path. "The dresses in that rumor? Made by this thing. The fiber drains energy and sticks to your skin; Helios found the energy source, we just have to find a way to destroy it. Your sword, maybe?"

Mamoru summoned a rose and the three of them separated; as the rose transformed into a sword, Mamoru charged, wielding the blade in sweeping arcs at the beast's head. Each blow bounced off harmlessly, and as the monster turned its fangs and sticky saliva towards him he had to retreat. Bouncing back to guard the front of the store, he held his weapon defensively, watching and waiting for just the right moment to strike. North King cracked his ice-whip, stealing the monster's attention away time and time again, testing it's maneuverability as Mamoru looked for any access point large enough for him to utilize. On a random turn, South threw a dagger and it stuck between pieces of the insect armor, burning away and causing the beast to squirm, showing Mamoru other weaknesses in its outer shell. As it thrashed Cardinal King rushed forward, blade at the ready, and stabbed it between two plates, his sword sheathing in the sticky flesh of the bug beneath. It squirmed and flung itself towards him, but Mamoru stood firm despite his revulsion, slicing deeper and deeper until, at last, the bug lay still.

" _The energy is - MAMORU WATCH OUT!_ "

While alarm fueled his actions, the rain had made his hands slick and as he turned to face whatever new threat had appeared, he did so without his sword.


	7. Friend or Foe? Jewel Tiara chooses a side!

As he turned he caught only a glimpse of her, of a tall young woman with dark green eyes filled with hatred, her lips drawn in an angry scowl. Her long brown hair was pulled away from her face, bangs wet against her forehead, a green gem shining in the sudden lightning. A senshi, close enough that he knew it was too late. He flinched, sensing something coming towards him, but knew he would be too slow to stop it –

But then someone was there, inserting himself between Mamoru and the attacking senshi, his arm held out to stop the blow of the incoming kick that had been aimed at Mamoru's head. Her boot connected solidly with his forearm, and with the  _thud_  of impact the man transformed. White dress-shirt turned into a blue-gray jacket rimmed with orange-yellow piping, curly brown hair flew freely, just wetting with rain. "Watch out, Sweetheart; you might hurt someone," he teased, a threat in his deep voice.

Midori. Mamoru couldn't believe what just happened; Midori had transformed without Helios's help, without a stone pendant – he really  _was_  their lost Prince. … and it was Mamoru's job to protect him.

"North! South!" he called as he pulled their Prince out of the way, blocking the senshi's punch with his own forearm this time, standing guard against her flurry of mixed attacks that followed to give Midori time to escape. She was quick; she was angry. Her outfit matched her tiara – green. Green banding around her gloves, green ankle-boots – the lace-pattern of which might be permanently marked in his arm – green skirt, sailor collar and choker, pink bows. She didn't seem to mind the rain and thunder, her attacks never faltering despite the downpour. But as she fought her expression changed; between dodging punches and blocking kicks, he saw her anger turn to broken desperation. He couldn't be certain that the rivulets on her face were raindrops or tears.

A dagger came dangerously close to hitting her and she screamed in defiance, backing away from him to turn and –  _throw lightning?!_ A ball of electrostatic energy formed in the palm of her hand and she flung it outwards, towards South. Mamoru backed up, summoning his rose sword and glancing around to find Midori. He found him near Helios, North rushing away quietly – probably spotting a place to attack from. The hair on the back of Mamoru's neck stood on end and he dropped just as another lightning ball flew over his head.

" **GIVE HER BACK!** " the girl screamed, her voice breaking agonizingly.

She moved even faster, now clearly crying as she threw attack after attack at them, her teeth ground together, lightning flying in all directions. Though confused, Mamoru couldn't afford to stop, to ask questions – she was a destructive force in motion, intent on doing them harm. As he ducked out of the way of another ball she rushed him, elbow first as she charged. He just barely jumped out of the way in time only to find that she had rebounded off of the wall behind him and was flying after him again, hand drawn back to punch, lined to connect.

But then a frozen rope surrounded her midsection, pulling her aside roughly. Mamoru landed and spun on the balls of his feet to find the senshi picking herself up off the ground, her elbow and most of her right arm scraped and bleeding. North King stood his ground, his whip held threateningly at his side. For a moment, as the senshi held her ground and glared, Mamoru thought it could be over. Maybe this time they didn't have to destroy the enemy – they could question her, learn more about the Moon Kingdom and what they wanted– but then she was up again, rushing North with lightning at her fingertips. Her punch sent Hanada flying into and through the glass display of the bridal shop. She made to follow him.

Mamoru ran forward to intercept her as throwing knives flew through the air, hitting the senshi dead-on and bursting into flame, but it seemed as just an annoyance to the green warrior. She brushed them away, turning her gaze on South, lightning sparking around her. As Mamoru reached the store window he realized he had moved the wrong way – suddenly the Prince was in the game, running quickly towards the senshi with his fist drawn back, something dull and stony on his knuckles. Distracted by South's renewed dagger throws, she didn't notice the Prince until it was too late, as his fist rushed towards her unprotected midsection. When he connected he unleashed a shockwave of pressure that tore through the area, breaking the remaining windows around them… and destroying the green senshi.

Doubled over, the girl fell to her knees as she rapidly disappeared. The Prince's cape appeared to counteract the violent energy erupting from her death, but before it obscured all of Mamoru's vision, he saw the girl close her eyes, a word at her lips, and then she was gone. Just as before, all that was left was a levitating crystal, green hued, shining from within.

" **JUPITER!** " Space seemed to tear around them as another senshi appeared, this one in blue. She ran towards the crystal floating in space, crying outright as she reached for where her teammate had been. Quickly behind her appeared another, this warrior blonde and beautiful, her uniform a mix of orange, yellow and blue. She grabbed the first's hand fiercely and pulled her back, restraining her as they disappeared. The last that Mamoru saw were the orange senshi's dark blue eyes, both sad and murderous as they found him.

As soon as they disappeared, in a flash of white and blonde Jewel Tiara swooped in, grabbed the crystal and cradled it to her chest as she ran through. "Hey!" Midori yelled after her, but Mamoru was prepared. He launched off after her, determined to find out more about her. Whose side was she on? Why was she collecting those gems? If she were working for the enemy, why did she save him? What was the enemy's plan? Puddles splashed beneath his feet as he gave chase; as the rain fell harder he nearly lost her, but he kept trying. In his mind, he heard Helios's side of a conversation:

" _She was Sailor Jupiter, senshi of Protection; the others, Sailor Mercury, senshi of Wisdom, and Sailor Venus, senshi of Love and Beauty. … Long ago, the senshi served as guardians in the Moon Kingdom, their lives tied to the royal family as you three, Cardinal, North, and South, were tied to the Prince, Midori. … Could they change? You mean could they turn to our side?_ " Mamoru continued to run, Helios's voice fading with the distance between them. He had lost her again, but he slowed, turning to see an alleyway not far behind him now. The rain was beginning to lessen, the storm slowly passing. He went back. Helios's voice was just a whisper as he concluded, " _They would never betray their Queen._ "

His hunch had been right. In the alleyway, standing with her back against the wall, was Jewel Tiara. Her gloved hands were close to her chest, holding tightly to the jewel she had taken. He approached slowly, not wanting to scare her off, but made sure to make some noise in the process so he wouldn't startle her. She either took no notice of him or didn't care he was there, her head bent as if staring at her hands. When he was close enough to speak comfortably he paused, wondering only then how he should question her. "Jewel Tiara," he started, speaking softly, "Who are you?"

Her shoulders started visibly shaking and she fell, the wall guiding her slowly to the ground. Mamoru didn't know what to do – she was crying, too. The senshi had cried, she was crying – was she really part of their team? Was it safe to approach her alone? While his mind yelled these and other warnings, he felt no threat from her. Looking at her now there was only sadness, only a desire to help her somehow. Taking a chance, he stepped forward and to the side and knelt down beside her, the puddles on the ground making him no more wet than the rain had. He reached out as though to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but hesitated and drew back, deciding it would be more awkward than helpful. Instead he just waited, providing company until… well, until she wanted him to go. She had saved his life twice now; even if the situation were different and he didn't want to stay, he owed her this much.

Holding her breath, she seemed to regain control of herself. Her eyes squeezed shut, she put her elbows on her knees, pressing her hands to her forehead, and said, "I don't know."

Mamoru was confused – maybe he wasn't specific enough? He tried again, "Where are you from? Whose side are you on?"

She drew her knees closer to herself, as if flinching, and repeated, "I don't know."

Her voice had cracked but while Mamoru felt like she was being honest with him, he knew she had to know  _something_. They had found their Prince; they needed all the information they could get in order to better protect him. He didn't want to cause her distress, but he still had to try. Hoping that questions about her recent actions might lead to some sort of answer, he asked, "What are those gems you take, and why do you take them?"

She opened her hands suddenly, staring at the green-hued double-pyramidal crystal with the bright light inside. In her eyes the sight was mirrored, wavering as tears built up again. One hand grabbed at her bangs as the other held the crystal and she cried out, " _I don't know!_ " her eyes shutting tight against everything. Immediately he regretted asking; an apology was on his lips when she continued, her voice weak yet passionate. "I don't know who I am or where I'm from! I don't know whose side I'm on or if I even  _have_  a side! I don't know why I collect these, or why it makes me so sad when I do! All I know is that I  _have to_!" By the end her voice was strong and her eyes shot open to stare at him intensely, her pain and confusion bearing into him through them. Speechless, Mamoru remained silent, meeting her gaze but not challenging it. Finally she looked away, a sob creeping through her throat as she unclenched her gloved hand to stare again at the jewel. Quietly, she asked, "Who was she?"

"Her name was Sailor Jupiter," he replied. Her silence prompted him to continue, and he was sorry he didn't have anything else to tell her. "She was a senshi of the Moon Kingdom."

Her free hand moved slowly to her belt and returned with the red gem. Despite the weeks since the death of the red warrior, the gem still glowed. "And her?" Jewel Tiara prompted.

"Sailor Mars," he told her softly, watching her every move. He had wanted answers from her, to learn who she was and why she did what she did, but all along he knew more than she. Would he be just like her if Helios hadn't found him? Lost and alone and confused, blindly following his instincts and hoping everything would work out in the end? But who told her where to go? How did she know where to find him? Why… "Why do you save me?" he asked.

She didn't answer for a moment, just stared at the softly glowing jewels. Then she shrugged, "Because you saved them" she glanced over at him, " – all those people." She looked away again, "They hadn't done anything wrong, and when they were in trouble you protected them… but no one was protecting you. So I did." She had chosen to help him. That wasn't instinct, but a conscious decision. She could have let him die, but she didn't. She was good. She wasn't part of the Moon Kingdom – she couldn't be. "Why do they do it?" she asked, sudden to his thoughts.

"Well… we're not that certain," he began, believing she meant the senshi and deciding to be completely honest with her, "but we think they're gathering energy to reawaken their Queen and take over the world." Saying it aloud sounded crazy – he wouldn't have believed it if his life hadn't become part of the story – but she nodded in acceptance anyway.

Looking sideways at him, he sensed a small smile behind her veil as she said, "Then I guess I'm on your side." She got to her feet; he joined her. Looking down at herself, she inserted the two jewels, red and green, into her belt; they fit snugly, one to either side of the ornate centerpiece. She looked up at him and nodded, backing into the street. "I'll see you again, Cardinal King," she said, and then she was gone.

…

Mamoru's hunch was right; when he returned to the bridal shop the Kings were gone. In their place were police officers just arriving on the scene and a ring of people gawking at the destruction the battle had left behind. There were compression marks in the pavement and glass all over the street. Mannequins in white dresses hung out of the windows, disheveled and eerily posed. A line of wet silt ran from just in front of the store into the gutter in the street, a single red rose left in the place the monster had died. On the sidelines, sitting beside a girl with a blanket thrown across her shoulders, was Midori. Moegi stood behind him, catching Mamoru's eye and nodding – everything was okay. Glancing around he found Hanada, a notebook in hand with pencil at the ready, pestering the cops for a statement to use in his newspaper. He wondered if Hanada was really that interested, or if he were acting in their interest and trying to ferret out information on what the cops knew about them so far.

When the paramedics dismissed Midori and his cousin, Moegi left with them, jumping into a town car and leaving. Mamoru casually left, Hanada meeting up with him as they walked back towards their own districts, and they swapped information. Mamoru went first, since he had the least to say, telling Hanada what he found out about Jewel Tiara and her decision to fight with them. Hanada, in return, told him that Helios had filled Midori in about the basics – the basics being their past-life origin, whom they're fighting and why, and Midori's importance. "Even after all that, he still jumped in to help. Part of me commends him, the other half wants to throttle him."

"By the way," Mamoru interjected, remembering Hanada's earlier trip through the window, "Are you okay?"

Hanada raised a brow and smirked, rolling up his sleeve to display a collection of scrapes, some with glass still in them. It was a little gruesome, but it wasn't bleeding profusely. "I barely bled – maybe something to do with my powers over ice?" he seemed more fascinated than concerned.

"Hanada," Mamoru stated disapprovingly – open wounds with glass? Was he trying to get infected? He took Hanada's wrist and held it still with one hand as he hovered over the wounds with the other, exuding energy that slowly mended the tears in Hanada's skin. Bits of glass fell like glitter, pressed out of the wound as his powers worked to heal it.

"That's a neat trick; do you think your powers are over growth?" Hanada asked.

"What?" Mamoru replied, moving on to another area of the blond's arm.

"You summon a plant that turns into a sword – that's kind of growing, right? And then you can heal things, which is accelerated re-growth." Mamoru looked up to see Hanada staring at his arm curiously. Hanada continued, "I mean, I've got ice, Moegi's fire, Midori has Earth – makes sense, right? I mean it looked more like stone and pressure, but close enough. Other ancient elements left would be nature, metal, light, and death and rebirth- you could be death and rebirth!" Hanada looked up with excitement.

Mamoru cocked a brow, "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be."

Hanada went on appealingly, "Oh, come on. It's just like nature and growth and stuff – things can't grow if things don't die. You're like a cycle person."

"Hanada."

"I wonder, if you concentrated hard enough, could you reverse heal? Like could you inflict wounds on someone rather than taking them away?"

"Want me to try?" Mamoru stated deadpan, pulling his energy out of Hanada's wounds but keeping hold of his wrist. Hanada laughed it off, pulling his arm away. He started walking again and Mamoru took two steps to catch up. "So what do the police know?"

"Not a lot; they attributed the mess to vandals and the fainting women to anemia. But then that could just be their story for the press." They traveled in silence for a time, walking the wet streets, both drenched head to toe. Mamoru still wore his soccer practice uniform, his cleats ringing against the pavement. Hanada, his long hair curling as it dried, wore casual clothes that stuck to him. When they reached their crossroads, Hanada paused. "So… what's next?"

"I'm not sure," Mamoru replied quietly. "It looks like our plan has changed. Midori is in on the fight, and he's not the type to back down or step out so there's little use in trying. We'll have to be careful in battle – if Helios is right, the senshi want Midori for the Golden Crystal, and now that we've found him he'll be a target."

"I wouldn't be too sure," Hanada mused. Mamoru waited for the explanation. "Midori's uniform looks exactly like ours. There isn't any additional ornamentation or markings of his royalty; so far as the Moon Kingdom is concerned we just gained another member. If we could keep it that way they might be led to believe that West King is really our Prince. His uniform is rumored to be gray and his cape blue, and with the four of us nearly identical to one another the obvious reasoning would be that he is different, thus he is the Prince."

"So we should now concentrate on finding him," Mamoru stated, "For his safety and his help; if he's survived this long alone, he'd be a valuable addition to the team."

"I wonder how much he knows," Hanada looked off, his gaze straying down the street towards their school. "Does he, too, have a guardian like Helios? How much does his guardian know about the Moon Kingdom?"

The mention of guardians brought Mamoru's thoughts back to Jewel Tiara, alone and confused, crying in the rain for reasons she didn't understand. He wouldn't wish that on anyone. "We need to find him," he stated simply. Hanada nodded in agreement, and they said their goodbyes.

…

Helios didn't return that night, but Mamoru didn't blame him. The horse had been working long hours, changing gears from looking for West King to verifying Midori, all the while keeping his senses open to new attacks. He was probably with Midori now, explaining things in greater detail, maybe even checking on the Golden Crystal to ensure its safety. In truth, it made Mamoru a little uneasy without Helios there; he had gotten used to him being around, even if they did fight a lot of the time. But then, their duty was to their Prince, to Midori, and it wasn't like Mamoru could up and move in to keep an eye on him, so a teleporting Pegasus made for a better watchdog. And, he reasoned, looking down at his watch, it wasn't as though he were completely cut-off. If something happened, he'd get an alarm.

The more time he spent with Midori, the more at ease he became. His first trepidations had been about duty of his past life taking over his present, that out of loyalty to a life that ended millennia ago he would be bound to protecting someone he had no real ties to, but he and Midori got along well. Midori's attitude was usually upbeat and jovial, and while he did enjoy showing off and being the center of attention, he did so through making people laugh. Not that long after they started hanging out together, Mamoru knew that if Midori were in trouble, he,  _Mamoru_ , and not his past life alter-ego, would be stepping up to protect him. He would make that choice, and not have it dictated by a past life he barely remembered.

It was true that lately he had a few hazy memories come to mind – nothing Earth-shattering, just hazy images and voices and a general feeling of happiness. He occasionally wondered if this was what others remembered when thinking back on their earlier years; he couldn't remember anything before he was age six, but he had read somewhere that memories from young childhood were often confused and muddled with time, so maybe it was the same.

After soccer practice he, Midori, and Hanada would hang out together; he made sure Midori did his homework to keep somewhere in the middle of class rank. When he had the chance Moegi would join them, his complaints about his busy schedule growing less and less frequent. Occasionally they would transform and train; Midori was somewhat of a natural – if there were any issues with his first practice, it was only in that he was putting too much force behind his jumps and constantly overshot the target landing spot. Midori's weapons were stone knuckles that rumbled like thunder when he knocked them together; the harder he punched something, the more the thunderous noise turned into small shockwaves. While the brunet wanted to try jumping from the top of a building and landing fist-first into the ground to test the extent of the abilities (would he make a crater?!), Mamoru and the others were able to talk him out of trying it. In the city, at least; he returned one day with a smile on his face and a smug remark about trouble for his gardener.

And, sometimes, the four of them would spend some time in Game Center Crown. Midori and Hanada were great at the games – Hanada commented nonchalantly that he had a machine at his house that he used to play a lot when he was in middle school; Midori complained that his mother wouldn't let him get one. Whenever they went, Mamoru kept an eye out for blonde odangos, hoping to find Usagi and regretting not knowing where else to find her or how to contact her. It had been a little over two weeks since the masquerade and he hadn't seen her; he was starting to feel defeated, crazy ideas coming to mind – maybe she moved. Maybe she was sick. Maybe she saw his score under hers and thought he was a stalker; maybe she was avoiding him because she had changed her mind and didn't want to face him, embarrassed or uncomfortable about kissing him. But when he finally spotted her through the Crown windows heading into a new video rental store, he took the chance to find out. With a quick goodbye to his friends, he left the arcade and followed her into the store.

As soon as he passed through the doors to the store he was struck with how weird the place felt, but with the fragrance of black licorice in the air and the thermostat turned to almost uncomfortably cool, he shrugged it off and wondered if it was some strange marketing strategy. Certainly the company had something going for it – the brand was popping up all over Tokyo: "Quicksilver Video", with a website available for those with internet. A few of his schoolmates talked about it, raving about its selection and cheap prices, but Mamoru had never really been into movies so he hadn't looked into it. If, however, a certain someone else had an interest in movies, he could give them a try.

He spotted her down one of the isles, her hands folded at her chest and a thoughtful expression on her face as she perused her choices. She looked well, if a bit tired; the little pout on her lips as she reached for one movie and then another made him smile – she was taking her decision very seriously, and it seemed to fit her perfectly. "Yo, Odango," he greeted, butterflies in his stomach. How would she react?

She jumped, for starters, her hair whipping around as she turned to look at him. "Mamochan!" she squeaked in surprise, and a warmth spread through him. She had given him a nickname? "Er..." she blushed, shaking her head in negation, "Mamoru-kun. H-How are you?"

He shrugged, "I'm well, how are you?"  _… smooth, Chiba_.

"I'm good," she said with a smile, but then the smile faded into a look of shame. "That's a lie. I'm grounded," she mumbled. "Dad just let me out today to grab a movie so I'd stop bothering him."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction; while he hadn't been grounded personally, he knew the general concept and had heard a few stories about the experience from others. "Why are you grounded?" he asked, curious about what she could have possibly done to bother her parents.

"Well…" she said, looking at him guiltily.

He blinked in concern, "It wasn't me, was it?"

"Well…" she repeated, all but confirming his suspicion. He felt remorseful – all this time he had wondered if she were evading him or if something had happened when she had been stuck at home and it was his fault. Before he could apologize, Usagi was shaking her head and hands in a 'you've got it all wrong!' manner, "No! Not that – I mean, partly that, but not  _just_  that." Her hands clasped together and she started tapping her index fingers – he really liked how animated she always was; she wore her emotions on her sleeves and while she constantly kept him guessing about other things, when she was right in front of him he never need wonder if she were upset. "There were my grades… and detentions for being late… and sleeping in class…"

He chuckled, remembering the horrible grade she had thrown at his head all that time ago. She blushed in embarrassment and he let it go, wondering if she might be interested in getting a tutor. And then he blushed, realizing the possible implications of such a question, and decided it'd be best to change the subject. "So, what movie are you getting?"

She glanced back at the shelf, filled with anime, and took a title from the display with fondness, revealing another three copies behind it. "This one," she said with a smile, showing him the cover. " _Kiki's Delivery Service_ " it read, with a picture of a girl in black riding a broom and a little black cat dangling off the broom stick. He smiled at seeing the cat, wondering if that was why it was a favorite.

"What's it about?" he asked.

The movie dropped a few inches, "You haven't seen it?" she asked incredulously.

He shook his head, "I don't watch a lot of movies," he excused.

She thrust the movie into his hands; he took it so it wouldn't fall, and she grabbed another copy off the shelf. "You have to see it! It's not all that new, but it's really good! It's about a witch who's going out into the world to start her training!"

He half-smiled at her enthusiasm, "Who's the cat?"

"His name is Jiji; come on! Let's get it!" she walked past him on the way to the check-out counter, then turned to grab his arm and pull him along. He went willingly, but slowed just to mess with her. "Mamoru-kun! You'll like it, I promise!" She plopped her copy on the counter and reached into her bunny backpack, but he put his down on top of it and pulled out his wallet before she could fish anything out of the plushie bag.

"If it's that good, I'll pay the fee for you." He handed the payment over to the cashier, who bagged their movies and returned them in record time.

She smiled up at him, "Thanks! That means I can get ice-cream on the way home!"

When they left the shop he accompanied her to Crown Fruit Parlor, where he handed her a copy of the movie, and afterward, her ice cream cone in hand, he offered to walk her home. He wondered if he was being too bold, but after going so long without seeing her, he wanted to see her as much as possible before they had to part. She hesitated for only a second before shyly nodding. He tried to hide his smile, but it didn't work too well. She lived in a nice neighborhood not too far away; on the way to her house she talked nonstop about whatever came to mind, but mostly about the movie he had to watch; eventually she declared that they would watch it together. He looked at her, surprised at her suggestion. She looked up at him with determination, "So call me when you put it on, okay? I'll start mine when you start yours and we'll watch it together!" She reached into her backpack and pulled out a starry pink pen, then put out her hand as if to accept something.

"I don't have any paper," he explained, and she took his hand, turned his arm to she could see his wrist, and wrote her phone number on his arm. While she kept her eyes determinedly fixed on his arm, he could still see the slight blush on her cheeks.

When she finished she looked up at him with determination and stammered, "Don't lose it, okay?"

He shook his head no, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. "I won't."

She nodded, her lips twitching into a nervous smile. She tucked a long bang behind her ear nervously, glancing up at the house behind her. "Well, we're here." She glanced up at him and away shyly, "Thanks for walking me home, Mamoru-kun."

"You can call me the other, if you want," he offered, nervous about making the suggestion but wanting to offer anyway. He liked that she had given him a nickname; to him it meant… well, maybe he was looking too much into things.

"Okay," she replied, a smile in her voice as she looked down at her feet and corrected, "Mamochan." Suddenly she turned and ran, stopping before the door to turn and wave. "Don't forget!" she yelled with a smile before opening the door and disappearing inside.

He waved once, then looked down at the numbers scrawled across his forearm. Then again, maybe he wasn't overthinking things after all.


	8. Is it really a date? Evening Star to the Rescue!

Mamoru paced his kitchen, his eyes going from the paused screen on his television to the phone sitting on his desk in the corner. His hands were clasped nervously behind his back as he moved, every step an attempt to ease his tension and raise his courage. He had thought he'd be fine – it wasn't even a date, it was just a phone call, anyway – but then he started to think about what he would say and how out-of-the-loop he would sound, especially to a public middle school girl who didn't seem to care much for academia. What if he said something awkward and she hung up? Or if he attempted to make a joke and she didn't understand, or vice versa? What if this was just doomed to fail? He paused, considering the possibility, but quickly thrust the idea aside and strode purposefully towards the desk. He really liked her, and he'd be damned if something as stupid as nerves get in the way. He punched the numbers into the phone without glancing down at his arm and waited, forbidding his mind from making up any other stupid excuses… Like the time! What time was it?! Were they having dinner?! As the extension rang he quickly pulled down one strip of his blinds and glanced outside, relieved to find the city dark beyond his apartment; it was well past usual supper hours, so with any luck he wouldn't be interrupting them.

The ringing ended with a woman's voice, "Good evening! Tsukino residence, how can I help you?"

"Good evening," Mamoru replied, physically bowing in his own apartment. He smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand for being ridiculous and forged ahead, "Is Tsukino Usagi available?"

"Hmm? Usagi-chan?" the woman sounded thoughtful, then muted as she called, "Usagi-chan! Telephone!"

"Telephone?! But she's grounded!" a man's voice cried in the background. It must've been her father.

"Remember, dear? We let her start using the phone again yesterday."

"Yeah?! … Oh yeah. Who is it? Is it Naru-chan? She's still not allowed company, remember!"

"No, it's not Naru-chan. In fact, it sounds like a young man – " the voice returned to the phone at full volume and Mamoru snapped to attention as her father yelled something in the background. "Whom might I say is calling?" the woman asked.

"Chiba Mamoru," he replied.

"Chiba Mamoru," the woman – Usagi's mother? – repeated, again partially muted.

"Chiba Mamoru…" her father repeated, and then again, "CHIBA MAMORU?! BUT THAT'S THE—"

A new voice joined the line, "I've got it!" and drowned out the muted complaints of the father. It was Usagi. All at once Mamoru both relaxed and doubled in nervousness – the parental situation might be nearly over, but just her voice summoned butterflies to his stomach. "Hang up! I've got it!"

"No daughter of  _mine_  will be taking phone calls from  _boys_  at this time of night!" the echo from the first phone continued.

"Hang up!"

"Now, honey," her mother appealed.

"In fact, she shouldn't be taking phone calls from  _boys_  at any time!"

"I've got it! Hang up!" Usagi's hand must have covered the receiver; she was muted, too.

"Who's on the phone?" this voice, belonging to a younger boy, popped in clear on the phone – another line, perhaps?

"Shingo!" she returned, her voice much louder now and chastising, "Get off!"

"Nyeah-nyeah, make me!"

"You don't want me to try!" she growled, then was muted again as she cried, "Mom! Shingo's on the phone! Make him get off! And hang up!"

" _You_  get off, young lady!" her father exclaimed.

"Oh, dear," there was movement on the line as Usagi's mother came back online and said, "Chiba Mamoru, was it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Mamoru replied, wondering if this would be when he was politely asked to hang up and never call again. Over the other lines he heard some commotion going on, punctuated with a muffled "ow!" before a line clicked dead.

"Don't worry about Mr. Tsukino, dear; he doesn't want to admit his little girl is growing up," her mother explained, making him feel a little uncomfortable. She continued, "I'll take care of him for now, but you remember to come and introduce yourself to me when you pick her up for a date! Good night!" her voice sounded almost teasing as she hung up and Mamoru wondered of which of her parents he should be more wary.

"I've got it! Hang up!" Usagi called again, sounding a little out of breath. There was a pause for conversation and she replied, "Oh. Thanks, mom!" And then she was there, and it was just the two of them. "Hi," she said; he could hear her smile in her voice and the butterflies in his stomach did backflips.

"Hi," he returned.

"Sorry about my parents and the weasel," she apologized with a strained laugh, then muttered, "I need to get my own line."

He chuckled, "It's okay."

"So! Have you started it yet?"

"Uh," he looked over to the couch, judged the phone line length, and grabbed the receiver before walking it over to the small table beside the closest part of the couch. "Not yet –"

"Good! Rewind it to the beginning! We have to synchronize so we watch it together!" she sounded like she meant business. He chuckled and rewound the tape to the very beginning. "Ready?" she asked, and he made an affirmative noise. "When your clock says 20:13, start!" He waited for the correct reading, and hit 'play'. "Is it playing?"

"Yeah," he replied, amused that she had really thought this through – with the phone delay, the person who said 'go' would be a few seconds ahead in the movie for the entire showing; by picking a time it practically eliminated the delay, so long as the clocks were in time.

"Good! I made popcorn – do you like popcorn?"

Their conversation was light; just getting-to-know-you questions generally focusing on snacks and topics brought about by the previews for future films (current? past? He really had no idea when this movie was released); he found out she liked her snacks sweet and as aesthetically cute as possible. She liked a lot of different shows and anime, and wasn't afraid to admit some of them made her cry, though she preferred comedies. She liked to go out to movies sometimes, but only if she knew the movie wasn't scary because she screamed at scary parts.

When the movie started their conversation died down to comments and catches about the movie itself. "Did you see that?! They wear black because…" or "They're so nice for letting her stay! I wish I could live above a bakery - it'd smell so good all the time!" Her comments were sweet or funny, sometimes yelling at the screen or making veiled threats towards characters. He paid more attention to her and her reactions than the movie itself; a little more than an hour into the movie he actually got up and started making hot chocolate, pleased to find that the phone cords stretched as far as his stove.

"What are you doing?" she asked when his spoon clinked against his mug.

"Making hot chocolate," he replied, hoping she wouldn't be disappointed that he had walked away from the screen.

"I like hot chocolate, too!" she didn't sound upset; he appreciated that. "Oh!" she continued brightly, "But this next part is… wait. This… isn't right…" her voice slowed, filling with confusion and concern, "What is… Mamochan?"

Something in her tone scared him to the core. "Usagi?" There was no answer. He dropped his spoon and pushed back towards the television, visually checking his connections, but the line was intact. "Usagi?!" he tried again.

" _Golden… Crystal_ …" the connection died.

Dropping the phone, Mamoru turned on his heel to see the screen flickering with snow and black bands, the blue insignia of planet Mercury glowing in the foreground, pulsing in time with a low hiss in the speakers. Quickly he turned the television off, twisted the hands of his watch to noon, and reached for his pendant to transform.

Tokyo was under attack.

…

"Not in the Kanto District!"

"There are a lot of people out here – the jewelry stores are swamped. Midori! Where are you?!"

"Keeping out of sight, don't get your panties in a knot," Midori paused, "No track yet on where the energy is being gathered."

" _If_  it's being gathered," Cardinal King corrected, jumping to another rooftop to spy on the world below. There was a small crowd of people centered around a jewelry store, their chant audible even from his height – ' _Golden Crystal! Golden Crystal!_ ' "They don't look like they've been drained at all – brainwashed is more like it."

"It'd be harder to find where Mercury is hiding then; the Quicksilver in this district is clean."

Mamoru jumped down a few stories, hanging onto a fire escape as he scanned the crowd for signs of Usagi. After he first transformed he had quickly gone to her house to see if she were there; a window had been wide open on the second story. Landing lightly beside it, he was able to peer within to find a girl's room, popcorn strewn across the floor. The television screen bore the mark of Mercury – Usagi was gone. He had then traveled back to the main city, stopping to check for any crowds for a sign of her, or Sailor Mercury, but had found neither as of yet.

The longer he searched the more certain he became that he and Usagi could not be together. As much as he liked her and wanted to be with her, it wasn't fair to her to involve her in dangerous situations such as these and, as much as he wished otherwise, he was firmly involved. This supernatural world of shadows, secret-identities, and energy-stealing villains was one in which Usagi did not belong. Maybe after everything was taken care of – once the Moon Kingdom was defeated and Midori made his decision about the future – maybe then he could have a chance with Usagi… then he wouldn't have anything to hide from her. How could he pursue her if he had to keep a secret as big as being Cardinal King away from her? None of this was fair. He should let her go before she got hurt. As his foot slid and he nearly fell and he remembered the cold feeling of Sailor Jupiter's thunder cloud and the claustrophobia that accompanied the close-call, he thought of another reason why he should end it; he wouldn't want her to be sad if something should happen.

Usagi wasn't there, and neither was Mercury; he moved on. Regular reports came in through their communicators about locations and statuses, Midori relaying Helios's advice and ideas as he stayed generally out of the way. Mamoru moved as quickly as possible from place to place until, at last, he found her, recognizing her blonde hair in the familiar pigtail buns. She was outside a jewelry store in a crowd of other people, wearing pink pajamas with little stars and bunnies on them, pushing her way forward. "Usagi!" he called, landing outside the crowd and moving forward, careful not to step on the toes of the brainwashed citizens as he reached for her. He put a hand on her shoulder when he got close enough, hoping it would snap her out of whatever spell she was under, but she didn't acknowledge the touch. He shook her shoulders and she tried to brush him off; not wanting to hurt her as much as he didn't want her to hurt herself, he took her arm and turned her around and gently shook her again, trying not to notice the deadened look in her eye as he called her name. "Usagi! Usagi, wake up!" He shook her once more, yelling now, "Usagi!"

She blinked rapidly, consciousness returning; walking backwards and using his shoulders as a way to break through the mob of people, he led her out of the crowd as she looked around with confusion. "What's going on…?"

"Listen," Cardinal King addressed, staring at her in an attempt to convey the seriousness of the situation, "Usagi, go home. Run as quickly as you can; get back to your house and  _stay there_!" She didn't say anything, her blue eyes solely on him now, suspicion or something akin to it in her gaze; he wondered suddenly if she could see through his disguise and recognized the man behind the mask. Part of him wanted her to know, but he realized that that part was only his selfishness. He stepped away from her, turning his face away. "Go home, Usagi." He jumped, aiming for the nearest rooftop.

"Wait!" she yelled after him, but he couldn't stay to hear more. She was safe; no matter what happened now, Tsukino Usagi would return home to her family and he could concentrate on the senshi who acted as a marionette to these citizens. Hopefully  _before_  she tired of the Golden Crystal search and decided to drain the innocent people of their energy en masse.

" _Mamochan, wait!_ " Usagi's voice echoed up through the street. He slowed, apprehension rising as he looked down, hoping she was looking elsewhere, hoping she had perhaps realized what had happened and was now looking for Chiba Mamoru amongst the hoard of crystal-seekers. Hoping she hadn't seen through his disguise. Four stories below, Tsukino Usagi stared up at him, her hands together in fists with the effort of her yell. She knew. Mamoru hesitated, debating whether he should stay and appeal to her again to leave, or if he should leave and hope she took his momentary hesitation as a misunderstanding. Before he could decide, she took something out of the pocket of her pajamas and disappeared in a soft light. A moment passed and in her place stood Jewel Tiara, staring up at him with the same look in her eyes.

Tsukino Usagi was Jewel Tiara.

…

The questions he had for both Jewel Tiara and Tsukino Usagi doubled in that instant, and as she made her way to the rooftop to join him, he fought to rank those questions to ask the most important first. She alighted beside him and he felt like an idiot for not seeing it before. All that time he spent with her at the masquerade ball, and earlier that day, and that meeting with Jewel Tiara when they defeated Sailor Jupiter; it was so clear now. He wondered when she had put his identity together - was that the semi-suspicious look he had gotten from her earlier that day?

She paused hesitantly a few feet from him, her high-heeled boots tapping lightly on the rooftop. She reached up to her veil as if to remove it, but her hand dropped, apparently rethinking the gesture. Her tiara was different, Mamoru noticed; it seemed to be the only thing to actually surface in his mind now that she was in front of him.

"I think I've found her," Hanada – North King – announced, his voice barely above a whisper.

He gave an address and both Midori and Moegi checked in, "I'm on my way," Mamoru replied as well, his eyes on Jewel Tiara. He let go of his watch and answered her unbidden question, "Another senshi – Sailor Mercury." Her eyebrows knitted together, her eyes leaving his as one gloved hand reached, seemingly involuntarily, to the shining jewels at her waist. "You don't have to come," he told her.

Her hand lifted from the gems minutely, but as the sound of shattering glass reached them, her hand turned into a fist and fell to her side. Below them, the mob broke through the glass windows of the shop and were pushing themselves inside. "I want to help," Usagi decided definitively, the resolve in her gaze mixed with reluctance.

Guessing at the cause, remembering her tears, he reassured her, "You don't have to fight her. We'll…" he paused, his heart fading with the realization of what he was suggesting. When had killing someone become so casual? "… we'll take care of it." When she nodded, he started to run, jumping over alleyways to other rooftops, using the walls to give a boost, the sounds of her footsteps following him reassuring in the darkness, a sound to hold on to as his mind wandered. The senshi… had they been reborn, too? Were they just normal girls months ago, living their lives as best they could until the Moon Kingdom called upon them? Did they have families out there somewhere, families that were looking for them, never knowing that they weren't coming back? Helios's voice echoed eerily in his mind, " _They would never betray their Queen_ …" That those girls would  _never_  be coming back? Had Mars and Jupiter been in high school, like him?

He slowed, staring at the rooftop beneath his feet as gravity seemed to double around him. Had they really been girls, like Usagi? Girls pulled in the wrong direction, onto the wrong side of the war for the planet based on a life they lived thousands of years ago?

"SHIT!"

"NORTH!" Moegi's voice yelled through the watch, an echo of those words bouncing through the real world towards him.

Adrenaline burst through Mamoru's veins and he tore off again, leaving Jewel Tiara behind, thoughts of the senshi's hypothetical pre-war lives thrust aside as the reality of the present fell in around him. No matter who or what those girls used to be, they were now capable of killing people, sacrificing lives to awaken a Queen that would destroy the planet. Each had threatened his life or the life of a friend without a second thought; there wasn't a time that they had acted purely in self-defense, always instigating with their endgame clear. No matter whom they were before, now they were firmly enemies of the planet. Or at least, he thought as he came upon the battle scenes, enemies of his.

Though mist obscured the ground below him, he saw her clearly: Sailor Mercury, the so-called senshi of wisdom. She hovered in the air over an open expanse between buildings, the street several stories below her floating form. Held against her facing outward, supported by her forearm at his throat and her fist holding a dagger at his stomach, was North King. His gloved hands held onto her arm, trying to pry it away from his neck; his blue mask was askew, his face was turning red. Neither had spotted him yet, their attention on South King and Midori on a rooftop to his left.

" **The Golden Crystal, or he dies!** " the senshi yelled fiercely.

He quickly summoned a rose and threw it, aiming to surprise her into dropping Hanada; with their cloaks, a fall from this distance wouldn't kill him, but he had a feeling the capes didn't work as well if they were unconscious. Or bleeding to death. The rose sailed true, but before hitting his mark it hit some sort of field and fell away harmlessly. Mercury turned to him, her arm tightening on Hanada's neck, a dangerous look on her face.

" **Bring me the Golden Crystal!** " she repeated.

A dagger bounced harmlessly off her defenses; now that he was really looking, he could see a spherical ripple through the air. A bubble? He summoned other roses, throwing them in succession at a single point – could her bubble be broken? Was it kept by an outside force, or did it take from her energy to sustain itself? As South added his daggers to Mamoru's roses, he wondered if they could break it in time.

Mercury whirled, trying to see them both at the same time, her features displeased. Her eyes jumped suddenly in surprise, glancing down at Hanada. " **You think ice would work on** _ **me**_ **?** " she growled, the hand with the dagger moving viciously. Hanada yelled in surprise, maybe pain, and Mamoru froze in fear. Hanada. He couldn't - " **You had your chance! The Crystal,** _ **now**_ **! Or he's dead!** "

What could they do?! It was Hanada up there, but the Golden Crystal was their key – if they gave it over, it would be handing over the world and all of its people. His teachers, his classmates, Usagi, everyone… or Hanada.

" **Come now, Prince!** " Mercury yelled louder, her voice echoing off the building surrounding her and being absorbed by the mist below. Mamoru started; had she figured them out? How could she know who their Prince was?! " **You wouldn't want your precious general dead, now would you?** " Her eyes twitched over to him. Mamoru's regained control – it was a bluff. If Midori stayed quiet and casual his secret would be kept safe. And if Mamoru timed a jump just right, he might be able to intercept Hanada if he fell. Maybe there was a way that this didn't have to end badly. If they just stayed strong, maybe she could be convinced that they didn't know where the Golden Crystal was hidden and she'd let Hanada go.

Hanada's sharp intake of breath could be heard even from the distance between them. Mamoru tensed, fear like ice in his veins as the senshi's wrist twitched inwards even farther. Midori stepped forward, "Wait!" he commanded.

"Don-" Hanada choked, his voice mercilessly cut off by Mercury. His hands grabbed again for Mercury's forearm, pulling at them with little effect as his legs kicked wildly around, trying to free himself. She was killing him.

The fear inside him for Hanada slowly began to change, helplessness turning to a stubborn refusal to yield, the willful belief that he could yet do something welling up within him, spreading outwards from his chest, collecting like a pool of white-hot energy in his hand. Mercury had to be stopped, and he would do it. He pulled a rose with his left hand and whipped it at her again, attracting her attention, then summoned another and transformed it into a sword. With energy collecting in his right hand and his Rose Sword ready in his left, Cardinal King took two steps backward, then charged forward –

But something small and quick flew in front of his face and he fumbled, concentration nearly lost with the instantaneous distraction. The collected energy dissipated; he barely hung on to his sword in his off-hand as the distraction disappeared to his left, but the commotion before him attracted all of his attention: a caped man was flying towards Sailor Mercury and North King, a long silver cape billowing behind him to control his trajectory. As the distance closed, the darker-skinned man with silver hair unsheathed a wicked-looking sword and, sword-first, went first through Mercury's bubble and then straight through Mercury herself. She screamed, dropping Hanada as she disintegrated, leaving a shining blue jewel behind. Hanada fell, but Helios, at his true size, rose out of the mists below to catch him gently, rising up with cargo safely centered.

"Helios, here!" Mamoru yelled, waving his arm and moving aside to make room for Helios to land; if she had cut into him, these next few moments were crucial. Helios seemed to hesitate for only a moment, then winged over and landed just as the new arrival did. Without being asked, West King moved to Mamoru's side and helped to carefully pull Hanada off of Helios and gently lay him down. Hanada's neck was bright red, but he was breathing. Blood colored his jacket, staining the blue-gray material a darker shade; again West King helped to undo the jacket and lay the jagged wound bare. Hastily Mamoru held both hands over the gash, then took a deep breath and concentrated, pulling from within himself to summon the energy needed to knit the flesh and heal the damage. He had never attempted to heal anything this bad before, but he could already sense some of the arteries mending, the muscle knitting together under the guidance of his power.

He was feeling lightheaded by the end of it, but when he finished all that was left was a thick scar, one that should lessen with time and rest. When finally his energy stopped pouring from his hands, it was like the world suddenly came back to life; he hadn't realized before then that he had shut off most of his senses; even the sound of the quiet night air was a relief to his ears. Looking up he found West King still sitting across from him, his strange silver eyes looking to South King and Midori, who knelt near Hanada's head. Already Mamoru could spot stark differences between West King's outfit and theirs – for one, his cape still hung from his shoulders where theirs disappeared when it wasn't needed, and for another, his uniform was silver-gray rather than blue-gray. His appearance in general was a contrast; he had a middle-eastern complexion, his face handsome if stern. Their plan to have West King pose as a false prince seemed incredibly believable now; West King had the bearing of a true King; Mamoru found part of himself actually wondering if Midori really were… but he brushed the thought aside roughly; of course they were right. Midori transformed without a pendant, and his family was in possession of the Golden Crystal. Midori was the Prince, and West King a convincing decoy. This would work; and, besides, they only had one more senshi to go.

Reminded of their enemy, he glanced between Midori and Moegi to the dark expanse between buildings, towards where Mercury had suspended herself, and saw, twinkling with its own light, the blue jewel was still there. Puzzled, he looked around for Jewel Tiara – why hadn't she grabbed the gem yet? Had something – had Venus -?! He started to rise, but then a hand took his, blood and all, and he instantly relaxed. He felt a fool; he turned to her with an embarrassed smile and she squeezed his hand in return. She was kneeling beside him, her hair in pools to either side of her, one hand in his, the other holding tight to the hem of her dress. When he found her eyes again she was looking past him. Squeezing his hand once more, she stood, walked to be clear of everyone, then ran and launched off the side of the building. Mamoru found himself holding his breath as she sailed through the air, grabbed the crystal, holding it tight to her chest as she finished the jump and landed in a window well on the other side. Only when she made the landing did he exhale, but as she disappeared into the building he nearly jumped in surprise as a sharp voice exploded from somewhere near him.

"What is she doing?! I told you that  _I_  needed them, Kunzite!"


	9. Two New Allies? The Team is Complete!

"Who is she?! Hurry! After her! Kunzite, she cannot be allowed to handle the gems!"

Something small darted out to hover aggressively before East King's face, its movement so quick and flitting Mamoru instantly drew the connection – it was the distraction, the thing that threw him off when he had moved to strike at the senshi before; but what it was… what  _was_  the Golden Age like that it held such unbelievable realities and creatures within it? People who could control the elements, a Prince with power over a crystal that could change the fate of the world, a Pegasus with a golden horn that could change size on a whim, and now a fairy? As she slowed to hover before East King with hands on her hips, she couldn't be anything else – she was tiny, barely three-quarters the length of his hand in height, with large iridescent wings that beat quickly to keep her in flight. She had long black hair that fell in waves past her waist and wore a black gown accented with a white asymmetrical apron. On her tiny feet were brown sandals, but if she could fly he couldn't imagine what use they had. In any case, her speech was constantly punctuated with expressive hand motions that almost seemed to overpower her tiny frame. After yelling at East King, who didn't appear to be overly concerned, she turned to Midori and South King, pointing at them and then across the expanse, "After her! Quickly! She cannot take the gems!"

"Why not?" Mamoru challenged; if the fairy wanted them to hunt down Jewel Tiara she was in for a rude awakening. She quickly turned to him and twitched, like a jump, holding and then avoiding his gaze for the split second before Moegi cut in.

"You can't order him around," South King admonished skeptically, indicating Midori.

The fairy turned back to them, planting her fists back on her hips as she as she scowled, "Why not?" she asked, echoing Mamoru's phrase.

"Because," Hanada said, regaining consciousness. His voice was a scratchy whisper; he didn't even try raising himself. "He's our Prince."

She retreated to East King's shoulder, landing lightly there and holding some of his silvery hair to keep her balance on the clasp of his cape. Mamoru kept his eyes on her, waiting to see what she would do next, wondering who she was and what story she held. She obviously knew something about the gems; enough, at least, to actively want them, which suggested she knew at least more than Usagi. Maybe he could help Usagi out; he could learn from the fairy was the gems were, and they could work out her puzzle together. It was worth a shot, at least. They fairy's eyes were dark, and a pendant was draped across her forehead, held in place with tiny silver strands. It was a stone of some sort, one that matched the earrings that dangled above her shoulders and the pendant at her throat – a pendant of stone… was she one of them? He watched her eyes, wishing to know her thoughts as her gaze turned from Hanada to Moegi to Midori, then briefly to him before looking at her feet. Who was she? She seemed almost familiar then, like the chorus of a song that he knew but just couldn't remember the words to.

"Our prince?" West King repeated, bringing his hand to his chest and bowing his head in a salute, "I apologize, Prince, for not introducing myself sooner; I am West King, though in another life I was known by the name Kunzite, and guarded you as a representative of the Western Kingdoms."

"I knew it," Hanada smiled, raising his head to get a good look at West King before resting again. "From the very beginning, I knew you were one of us." Mamoru shook his head at his friend; of course Hanada would take a moment for an I-told-you-so, even when in all rights he should still be unconscious.

Midori raised a hand as if to ward off West, "No apology necessary – it's a good thing you were here, or North… well, thanks for coming when you did."

"Why did you wait this long?" Moegi asked, his eyes sharp and expectant. Helios, standing behind Moegi's shoulders, looked on curiously, his eyes focused on the fairy as well.

"Watch your tone!" the fairy admonished, nearly jumping off of her perch. She stopped when West raised a hand.

"It was a strategy we concocted – I would stand as a false prince to lead the Dark Kingdom astray; if they wanted the Prince or the Golden Crystal, they could chase me and the real prince would be safe. I stayed away from all of you but kept visible in their eyes, stopping their monsters before they ran amok or foiling their energy schemes; however, it seemed as though luck or fate was against our plans from the very beginning, and it was you four that repeatedly faced the senshi. I regret that I was not there to help you defeat them before now."

"No worries," Hanada replied, weakly waving his hand, "we're alive, they're not, it's all water under the bridge. But," he raised his head again to look West King in the eye, "if you could keep up that little charade, that'd be great."

Moegi reached forward and used one finger to push Hanada's head back down, "Do us all a favor and at least pretend to be asleep before you pass out again."

Mamoru added on Hanada's idea, engaging West King, "We'll help you; we'll act like you are the prince, pretend to protect you when really protecting Midori. If we could keep him safe long enough to defeat the last senshi, the Moon Kingdom's plot will fail. Without the senshi collecting energy, they cannot awaken whatever evil force awaits. Are you willing to continue,  _Evening_ _Star_?" he inquired, using the moniker as an alternative to the 'king' title that connected West to the rest of them. As of now, the more separation and deference the better.

The man regarded him thoughtfully, a smile slowly spreading. He nodded, "I can do that."

"Kunzite," the fairy called, her voice low and anxious, "the gem? She's getting away –"

"She's long gone by now," Mamoru stated, hoping he was telling the truth, "She's quick; she can easily keep up with me so she's probably halfway across the city by now."  _Or she could still be in that building, crying for reasons she doesn't understand over the glowing remains of an enemy of the planet._ "What are those jewels, and why are they important to you?"

Instead of answering, the fairy and West King shared an uneasy glance. "You two have run together before?" West asked cautiously, as though carefully phrasing his words.

He nodded, seeing no reason to lie. Their attention made him feel slightly uneasy, as though they thought he had done something wrong. He pushed the uneasiness aside; nothing about Usagi was mistrustful.

"Do you know who she is?" West asked seriously, "Can you be sure where her allegiance lies?"

"She could be a senshi in disguise, sent from the Dark Kingdom to infiltrate us," the fairy added, looking back to West King, "that would explain why she wants the gems."

Mamoru sat back, placing his hands firmly on his legs as he regarded them darkly. New team members or no, they jumped too quickly to conclusions. They didn't even know her and already they mistrusted her – what right had they to judge her?! Usagi was  _not_  a senshi, the suggestion was insane! But he had no proof, and he certainly wasn't going to divulge her civilian information to try to placate them—

" _I've never sensed anything from her,_ " Helios commented, unexpectedly defending her. Mamoru's anger cooled as he looked thankfully towards the Pegasus. With Helios's support it was two verses two and he wouldn't sound so gullible.

"And so far, she's stayed pretty much out of the way, not helping either side," Midori added thoughtfully, "In fact, she only appears to carry away the shining crystal at the end of a senshi battle."

"Not entirely true," South commented, "at the masquerade ball she appeared and defeated the being that had been stealing energy; she saved Cardinal King's life that night, and there wasn't a senshi anywhere near there."

"That means she saved my life, too," Midori mused contemplatively. Mamoru felt more secure then – there was no way the new pair could continue to think Jewel Tiara an enemy. "I think we should trust her, for now at least. I mean, maybe not with everything, but we shouldn't treat her like an enemy."

"I agree," Mamoru seconded immediately, deciding to add, "When I confronted her after Jupiter's demise—" he tried to ignore the fairy's look of shock as he spoke, "-she said she was on our side. She's against what the Moon Kingdom is doing and wants to help us."

"You confronted her  _alone_?" the fairy repeated incredulously, a hint of fear in her voice. "Listen, even if we are going to trust her for now, I don't think meeting with her alone is the best of ideas. What if she's –"

"She's not." Mamoru defended darkly, tired of the little creature's bias against Usagi. "She's an ally. End of story."

"I can see where she's coming from," Hanada commented, keeping his eyes closed and thus making Mamoru's glare ineffectual. "If she were a spy or an agent for them, we shouldn't let her be so close to our Prince."

"So we'll make a compromise," South decided matter-of-factly, his political side surfacing in his tone. "Midori, you're not to be alone with Jewel Tiara. Okay?"

Midori shrugged, "Okay."

"Done deal." Moegi stated, crossing his arms. Hanada, eyes still closed, nodded once with a hint of a smile on his face as though he had planned the Moegi's reaction. For all Mamoru knew, he did; in any case Midori's agreement seemed to have taken the fire out of the fairy's eyes, but she and West still seemed uncomfortable about the situation, so something told Mamoru that he hadn't heard the end of it. Moegi continued, "Now what are those crystals she's been taking?"

The fairy sighed, glancing again at Mamoru before fixing her gaze on Moegi. She sounded resigned as she said, "I'm not really sure."

She didn't know either?! All that fuss about how Jewel Tiara couldn't have the crystals and she didn't have any concrete reasons why not?! He was about to stand and walk away – he had had just about enough of this new team – but she hurried forward, jumping into the air and taking flight for their attention, hinting then that his reaction wasn't the only negative one she had received. "But if I had to guess those crystals are the senshi's Soul Gems!" She hovered above Hanada, looking at Moegi and Midori as though the information should have made them recoil. Mamoru looked to West King, but he didn't seem to know what the fairy was talking about either.

"Alright," Hanada said, one eye peeking open. His voice was stronger, but still sounded hoarse as he continued, "I'll bite. What exactly is a 'soul gem', besides the obvious interpretation of the name, and why would you want them?"

She crossed her arms, "It's less that I want them and more that I don't want the enemy to have them. The gems are why Helios can sense when a senshi is near and why a senshi can control her element – they are a source of immense power and energy, and if the enemy were to get their hands on those crystals and knew how to tap into them..." she trailed off, but her meaning was clear: the crystals would be used to awaken the Moon Kingdom's leader, and the war would really begin.

They were in silence for nearly a minute, each contemplating the threat; Mamoru wondered how best to return to the Jewel Tiara topic and place it in a better light. If she were guarding the senshi's "soul gems" and those "soul gems" could be used as keys to the enemy's awakening, he would prefer she work with them directly and not be stuck out by herself. If Venus knew that the crystals could be used that way, it would make Jewel Tiara, Usagi, a target; if she were with them she'd be easier to protect. He knew he'd be better able to keep his head in the game if he could see her and know she were safe. But how could he go about making that suggestion when it was clear that, if none else, West and the fairy were against anyone even conversing with her? He'd have to phrase it just right – he couldn't be the only one that was thinking about Jewel Tiara after the reveal; maybe one of them would give him an opening?

"Shouldn't they be called "Power Gems" or something then?" Midori asked skeptically. Mamoru dropped his head a bit, hoping he hadn't just lost his opening due to semantics. "I mean, are their souls actually in them?"

"What?" the fairy looked a little thrown off by the question; she shook her head as if to clear it. "Their souls? We can't really prove that their souls are in there, but that is what old mystics used to say."

"Do only senshi have them?" Midori continued, "Soul gems, I mean?"

Helios answered in place of the fairy, " _In the classical sense, every person that has a soul has a soul gem, but only those with great powers have physical soul gems. The gems are said to link the person to their power source; I suspect the senshi are connected to the very planets they represent, as are you, Prince._ " Mamoru's attention turned from Helios to Midori, watching the look of confusion on his friend's face turn to thoughtfulness; Mamoru didn't envy him. It seemed like a lot of pressure to be under for one person, but then Midori wasn't alone. And even as he didn't envy the guy, Mamoru knew he'd be there in a heartbeat to help whatever way he could, even if it were just trying to find ways to keep the thought of having a personal connection to Earth out of mind. " _Everyone here, in fact, has a soul gem within them that should manifest in physical form._ " The thought entertained Mamoru for a moment as he wondered what his would look like, but glancing down to see the pyrite pendant on his chest cleared the question up pretty quickly. He half-smiled – his 'soul gem' was fool's gold.

"Well, almost everyone," the fairy objected; her tone sounded playful, but forced. She returned to West King's shoulder and stood there again, her hands folding across her chest. "So you see now why that thief can't have the gems: if they fell into the wrong hands – which could be hers for all we know – the Earth is doomed."

"Then we should keep her close," Mamoru challenged, not willing to let this opening go. "That way we can keep an eye on her and protect the gems at the same time." He paused to let the option sink in before continuing to fight his point, "She has shown no ill-will towards us and she can fight. She doesn't know Midori is our Prince and we'll keep it that way; just like with the Moon Kingdom, we'll make it seem like West is the reborn Prince of Earth. Besides," he added finally, "wouldn't you want to know if anything happened to her and the three gems she carries?"

"Three…" West King echoed thoughtfully.

"And how do you know she hasn't phased back to the Dark Kingdom and returned the blue crystal by now?" the fairy contested.

He felt the flush in his cheeks – she was wrong! How could she be so confident?! – but without revealing her secret to parties who clearly didn't like her, he had nothing to defend Usagi with. A beat passed without his response.

"You see? This is just too big to bring random strangers into the mix. The stakes are too high for this. It's up to us and us alone." The fairy finished, crossing her arms pragmatically, keeping her eyes anywhere but on him.

He was tired of her and her inability to look at him – if she had to constantly shoot him down, she should own up to it and look him in the eye! "Who are you, anyway?" he challenged.

The fairy froze up, like she had been hit with something. As her head bent forward, long hair concealing her features, she slowly relaxed. She clasped her hands together in front of her and he began to regret his words. The probability was high that she was someone from their past, with that green-stone pendant she might have even worked with them to protect the Prince. It wasn't her fault that he didn't remember. … but that didn't change that she was being rude and accusatory of an innocent party.

" _Don't mind him; his thick skull should be put on display one day to be marveled at the world over."_  Helios cut in. While Mamoru didn't appreciate the remark, he did appreciate the gesture to bridge the gap. The Pegasus, still in his full-sized form, tilted his head to the side questioningly, bright red eyes intent upon the little fairy. " _I think I know you. You are Beryl, are you not?_ "

She perked up a little bit, unclasping her hands to take a more casual stance. "I could be."

" _You are! But how did you survive the attack?! No one else…_ " Helios trailed off, his voice halting.

The little fairy – Beryl – stood even taller. She brushed her hair behind her shoulder and, looking a little smug, commented, "No one else was  _me_. I knew a spell and I used it at the last moment, just as the light was exploding outward. I survived. In a new form," she fluttered her wings, rising off of East King's shoulder before alighting there again, "but I survived."

" _Your magic did that?!_ " Helios asked incredulously. She nodded once, looking as pleased with herself as Helios looked taken aback. " _And that's how you…_ " he nodded his head forward, " _I_ _ **knew**_ _I saw true talent in you! You should have been inducted into the Maenads –_ "

"And where would I be if I had?" Beryl replied snippily. "Besides," she amended, her voice full but with faint discolorations of bitterness in her tone, "Who said I would have accepted? I didn't want to live in the Gardens of Elysion anyway." She launched up into the air far above their heads, and hovered there for a moment before zipping back down towards them. "It's close to 4:00," she reported to West King.

He nodded his head, "North, how are you feeling?"

Hanada cleared his throat, sounding much better than before. "Like I was just stabbed in the stomach and almost choked to death," he pushed himself up to a sitting position, grimacing, and looked to West King. He shrugged, "You know, pretty good."

His jest seemed to fall on deaf ears. The silver eyes fell on Mamoru, "Could you help him home?" Mamoru nodded, then he and West helped Hanada to his feet. While he still felt light-headed from earlier, Mamoru supported Hanada as best he could. West looked to Helios and Midori, "we'll escort the Prince home," he said, including the fairy, Beryl, in their party.

Moegi stood and went to Hanada's side, taking Hanada's other arm over his shoulder. "I'll help Mamoru; I'm heading in that direction anyway."

West nodded, and their team split in two, with West, Beryl, Midori and Helios turning to jump over rooftops towards the outskirts of town, and Mamoru, Hanada and Moegi remaining on the rooftop.

"So," Moegi said questioningly, "Do we try rooftops or jump down and walk?"

…

In the end they had jumped off the building and chose to walk – it would put less strain on Hanada's new 'stitches'. Holding tightly to either side of Hanada, the three had jumped together and landed almost softly on the ground, barely jarring North's injuries. There they powered down – police sirens could be heard all around them, probably in response to the 'raids' of the jewelry stores – and started the long walk home. When he felt strong enough to, Mamoru threw more healing energy into Hanada; by the time they reached his parents' expensive apartment building, Hanada barely needed any help. He said goodnight as he walked through the building's doors alone, greeting the confused doorman casually as he disappeared into the lobby.

Mamoru and Moegi parted there, their homes in opposing directions. With a quick transformation the rest of his trip took mere minutes, and by 5:30 Mamoru was in his apartment. He turned off the television after removing the video tape and breaking it in two, and as he gathered the phone cord and put the phone back in its place by his desk, his mind finally matched his body in exhaustion. He was asleep soon after.

…

He woke up the next morning to the phone ringing. He checked his watch first, just to make sure it wasn't a message from the Kings, but the clock was acting normally. It was 11:45 am. He rolled out of bed and stood shakily; the healing from last night was still taking its toll. Stumbling into the main room, he picked up the phone and greeted, "Hello, Chiba Mamoru speaking."

"Mamo-chan!"

His heart skipped a beat. "Usagi, good morning –"

She interrupted him, her voice in a whisper, "I can't talk for long – they thought I snuck out last night and I'm grounded again. I just wanted to see if you were okay – are you okay?"

"Yeah," he remarked, "I'm fine." It felt good to have someone checking up on him.

"Really? You looked like you were going to faint last night – I can't believe you can heal people! That's so cool!"

He smiled, "I'm fine, really; just hungry. I could probably eat a horse –" he turned to face his kitchen and almost choked on his words. Standing on the kitchen table, reading the morning paper, was Helios. The white Pegasus flicked his tail casually, then used his horn to turn the next page. Red eyes flashed up at him and if horses could raise their eyebrows, Helios was definitely raising his.

"And your friend?" she prompted.

"Uh," he stammered, turning away from Helios but keeping his eyes on him, "Hanada? He's fine, too. Good as new." He paused, then corrected, "Well, he'll have a scar for a while, but that should be just about it."

"Oh, good!" she exclaimed as if releasing her breath. Then her voice dropped even quieter. "I think I hear Shingo. I'll try calling again later!" she paused, and he hung on the pause just as he hung on her words. "Talk to you later, Mamo-chan."

"Talk to you later, Usagi," he replied, deciding that it would be too forward to admit how much he'd be looking forward to the call.

When they hung up he turned around. "So you're back?" Mamoru said by way of greeting as he walked to the kitchen, dumping the hot chocolate from the night before and starting a new kettle for a quick lunch. As his stomach grumbled loudly, he added a few saucepans to the stove as well.

" _Eh, for a while at least,_ " the unisus replied with bored tones. " _We_ _st has moved into Midori's house under the guise of an exchange student and Beryl went with him, so I thought I'd stay here with you instead._ "

Mamoru caught the hint of distaste in Helios's mental tone at Beryl's name and he chuckled, "Well, thanks for liking me more than the fairy."

" _Don't feel too special; it's not exactly hard to do_." Helios returned. He looked up from the paper, as though considering something seriously. Finally he turned to Mamoru and added, " _Rock and a hard place, really._ "

"Shut up," Mamoru rolled his eyes and threw the dish towel at him. In truth Mamoru was glad to see Helios back with him, even if it was 'just for a while'. As Helios used his golden horn to toss the towel to the ground, Mamoru asked, "You hungry?"


	10. A Moment of Peace? Venus Bides her Time!

Mamoru glanced at his watch and put the paper down, folding it neatly and tucking it inside his school bag. He stood and walked into the kitchen, placing the bag in a chair as he refilled the kettle and put his dried dishes away. He turned and picked up the bag again, walking to the door and pausing to put his shoes on. "Are you coming?" he asked over his shoulder of the white Pegasus standing on his table.

" _I'll meet you there later,_ " he replied without concern.

As Mamoru left the building, bag in hand, and was quickly joined by a stranger. While he had never seen the guy before, the familiarity of his presence was overwhelming. They walked together for over a block before either of them spoke. Mamoru didn't know how to start; he didn't actually know the guy, but his affiliation with the annoying little fairy didn't create any warm feelings between them. Detransformed he seemed very similar to his alter ego; the silver-colored hair was the same, which was surprising, but useful, he supposed, if they went through with the charade. How many high-school-aged guys had silver shoulder-length hair? If Venus was looking, she wouldn't have to look very hard to find their supposed Prince. With thoughts of the discussion from the other night and what he had heard from Helios in mind, he finally asked, "Shouldn't you be with Midori?"

The man shrugged, "We thought it would work better this way."

Mamoru raised a brow, looking at him sideways as they walked. "Yeah?" he asked. Had Midori tired of this guy already and passed him off?

"Yeah," he replied, "If I'm supposed to be the Prince, then shouldn't I be sticking around the Prince's primary protector?"

Primary protector? Rather than ask, he considered the phrase, thinking through what he knew, and almost immediately the reasoning surfaced: their names. West King, North King, South King – he was  _Cardinal_  King. The centerpiece of the directions. It wasn't entirely unreasonable to believe that his title was honorary based upon a leadership position. He paused, wondering if he had been slacking in that department lately; should he have been personally escorting Midori around? …  _No_ , he finally decided. They had been taking turns, and Helios had been with Midori when he or the others couldn't have been. Nothing had happened, so their previous protective duty seemed adequate enough.

He shrugged as a response and they continued walking.

"Midori is with Moegi," West offered.

Mamoru nodded. That would've been his guess; Moegi's parents were thrilled with his friendship with the influential Midori family, so his mother drove him out to the mansion whenever he requested. Midori usually preferred to walk into town and had his chauffer drop him off near Moegi's neighborhood since it was within walking distance to the districts he liked to visit and was closest to his manse.

"I'm Kobai," the man said, half a block later.

"Chiba." Mamoru replied. They continued walking.

Half an hour later they paused to speak to the doorman and waited for Hanada to okay them before entering the apartment's lobby and boarding an elevator. They got off on his floor and Hanada greeted them at the door; only then did Mamoru and Kobai actually form a conversation. Entering Hanada's house they found Midori and Moegi spread out on a table, their homework before them. Mamoru took out the morning paper and for the next half hour they poured over various news sources so see if there were any connections drawn to them, and to get a general feel for the city's thoughts about the mysterious happenings around the city. By far Hanada had the most sources, taking his online forums and websites into the discussion as he broke apart every story and discussed the subtleties in the writing, even going so far as making suggestions as to how much the police department had been asked to keep confidential.

The jewelry store robberies were attributed to mob mentality, and while many citizens had been arrested on Friday night, the majority of them had been released, starting with the children and teenagers. The papers reported that no commonalities had been found between the people, but if the cops hadn't made the connection they would shortly.

They strategized their activities; Midori and Kobai wouldn't be left alone any time in the near future: until Venus showed herself, they had to prepare for any possibility. Kobai's school was a good distance away from theirs, but he said he could lay low until connecting with one of them, specifically Mamoru. Mamoru objected at first, citing Kobai's experience and expertise with his weapon as reason for him to be with Midori, but Midori flat-out refused, using Kobai's earlier reasoning to cement the decision. If they had to split, Kobai would go with Mamoru, Moegi and Hanada with Midori. Beryl would keep completely out of sight – much to Mamoru's relief – and Helios's would permanently return to Mamoru's apartment.

The plan was clear; now they just had to wait.

…

Over the next couple of weeks, Mamoru saw more of Kobai than he ever could have imagined; the foreigner had a strong sense of duty – that much was for sure – and was consistently punctual and stubborn about keeping close from the time that school ended until they retired for the day. Eventually, though Mamoru's was the absolute smallest of all of their homes, the guys started having dinner there and hanging out with Helios before calling it a night. Though it was annoying at times – especially with Midori's habit of lounging over absolutely everything and leaving a mess wherever he went – Mamoru enjoyed the feeling of his place when they were around; their companionship, even with the occasional bickering or not-so-subtle ribs, reminded him of families on television, and made him feel a strangely nostalgic.

Calls with Usagi were like clockwork; every night around eight she would call from her 'unforgiving prison' and whine about her day or enthuse him about the latest video games and sweet treats she was missing out on and would have to catch up on when she was released. She could have talked about anything, really; he was happy just hearing her voice. It was odd, but with her he felt both relaxed and on-edge, and on occasion he would just wonder when she would realize how boring he was and hang up. It was always a little fear of his, a fear that she would make him completely forget while they were talking, but would hit him little by little when they said goodnight. But, while he had become generally comfortable speaking with her over the phone, when her punishment finally ended he was nervous all over again when faced with the possibility of actually seeing her.

… especially with Kobai and crew in tow.

"Hey," Mamoru attempted, pausing before entering the arcade, "I'll catch you guys later; I've got something to do." It was a rare day without soccer practice, a day usually used to catch up on homework and get ahead in class, but he felt confident enough in his studies to do without a day of classwork; and maybe… well, he felt confident that he might be able to sit down and have an actual face-to-face conversation with Usagi. Treat her to one of the sundaes she had mentioned a couple times over the phone, or do something else she enjoyed.

They  _all_  paused, Kobai, Midori, everyone. Midori raised a brow, "What do you have to do?" he asked, skeptical disbelief in his tone.

"Something," he replied immediately, a little flustered; he had hoped they would just shrug and let it go, as they usually did when Moegi had to go for a debate team meet or Hanada left to work on his newspaper. He hadn't exactly worked up a solid reason, and now his mind raced for a reasonable excuse.

"Well that's specific," Hanada replied, rolling his eyes as he pushed past Kobai to go through the door Mamoru held open for them. "See you later, Chiba."

Mamoru felt some relief at Hanada's easy acceptance and the weird look Hanada was giving the others, but while Moegi was making a move forward, the others seemed unaffected. … which meant that they were all right there and in full view when a cheerful voice cried from behind him, "Mamo-chan!" and Usagi Tsukino came up next to him, a dazzling smile on her face. Her bright blue eyes caught his with a look of utter happiness and excitement. She slid to a stop beside him, her winter school uniform looking a little unkempt, it was clear she had come straight from school, without detention: in one hand was her schoolbag, the other held a crumpled-up piece of paper. He couldn't help the slight smile on his face, but he wiped it away quickly and looked over at his friends, just waiting for their reaction. She followed his gaze and he could see her mind working as she surveyed at the four of them, Hanada now hanging out in the doorway, and glanced back at him. She had put it together. "Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" she asked hesitantly.

As he could have expected, Midori had a sly grin on his face, a look echoed by Moegi behind him. "Not at all. So,  _Mamo-chan_ , who is this lovely young woman?" Midori asked, his voice changed to the 'charming' tone he used around girls. He stepped forward and offered her his hand.

She looked at the offered hand with some confusion, and started to reach forward when Mamoru spoke to stop the inane ploy Midori was attempting. He'd seen the brunet use it before – rather than a handshake, Midori would kiss the back of the girl's hand and say something about how nice it was to meet them. It worked on some girls (Mamoru personally liked it better when the girl rejected him outright), but he didn't relish the idea of Midori trying that particular trick on Usagi. "This is Tsukino-san," he stated as a matter of fact, looking from the hand to Midori until he dropped it.

Unfortunately, while Midori had dropped the hand, he apparently wasn't ready to drop the conversation. He smiled brightly, "Tsuki-san, eh? How would you like to join us for a milkshake? My treat."

Mamoru prepared a refusal, but Usagi's quick, "Okay!" made him swallow it immediately. Instead he settled for a glare as Midori made a grand sweeping gesture to the Crown Fruit Parlor near the arcade and followed along. Hanada kept with him as they walked; Usagi walked between Midori and Moegi, laughing as one of them made a joke. He liked seeing her laugh, though part of him wished that  _he_  had caused it rather than they.

"So, Tsukino-san?" Hanada asked unobtrusively, the words an invitation for a better explanation than one he had offered the others.

Mamoru shrugged, "She used to throw her bad grades at me."

" _Grade Eight_  you say?" Moegi repeated loudly, looking back at Mamoru and raising his eyebrows and smirking as Midori held the door and Usagi disappeared inside, her eyes catching his and smiling again before walking up the short set of stairs. Mamoru just glared, shoving his hands in the pockets of his uniform. It wasn't that strange, right? She was 14, he was 17; the difference was just three years. That wasn't creepy.

When he and Hanada made it upstairs after them, they had already claimed a six person round table; Usagi waved at him and motioned to the empty seat beside her. He did, and tried to ignore the thrill he got when her hand accidently brushed him. Hanging out with Usagi and the guys was a lot less stressful and embarrassing than Mamoru would have originally thought; no one even asked about the specifics of their relationship, instead they mostly asked Usagi questions about herself and used her answers to launch into amusing stories or to tease someone else about a similarity. Usagi laughed a lot – they all did, really – and he learned new things about nearly everyone there.

"So, Tsukino-san –"

"You can call me Usagi-chan!" Usagi assured them happily, taking another spoonful of her second chocolate sundae.

Kobai smiled, "Usagi-chan, then; what do you want to be when you grow up?"

She sputtered, then swallowed the mouthful of ice cream, her cheeks flushing. Finally, she put her spoon down and looked up, away from them all, crossed her arms and declared, "I haven't decided yet." Moegi snickered and she turned the question on him, "What do you want to be, Moegi-kun?"

The blonde shrugged, then straightened in his seat. "Prime Minister."

"Big surprise there," Midori commented. Usagi looked to him and he stretched, putting his hands behind his head as he answered, "My future's already set – I've got a business to run. Or oodles of money to spend; either really."

"How terrible for you," Mamoru commented flatly, smiling so they knew he didn't mean anything by the statement. The group chuckled appreciatively as Midori made a big show of sighing.

"It's tiring being me," he complained good-naturedly.

"What would you do if you didn't have to run your family's business?" Usagi asked.

Midori looked thoughtful before answering, "I don't know. Travel, maybe. Or run an arcade."

"And by 'run' he really means 'loaf around in'," Hanada commented, "And I'd have someone cover the story in one of the lesser news columns – 'Local Millionaire Squanders Fortune on Video Games.'"

"Hey!"

"Kobai? What about you?" Hanada continued without giving Midori any attention.

"I'd like to be an archaeologist," Kobai replied, "with a concentrations in the Middle Eastern region centering on ancient Mesopotamia, specifically Babylonia."

Mamoru's eyebrows raised; it was an impressive goal, one that he hadn't really considered for Kobai. With his general demeanor and serious nature, he had him pegged for a business position. Beside him, Usagi's mouth hung open a bit, her wide-eyed expression one of awed disbelief. "Like Indiana Jones?!"

Everyone laughed at her outburst; Kobai actually cracked a smile, "I guess so."

"Do you think you'll take a university position?" Hanada inquired.

Kobai nodded, "I would try; teaching at a university is the surest way of securing funding for digs and provides a good launch point for scientific papers."

"And an unending supply of graduate students to do the grunt work," Moegi added with a wry smile.

The tanned man shrugged, "True."

"So what do you want to be, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, turning to him.

"A doctor," he replied easily. While physics was his favorite subject in school and he had an interest in astronomy, he had wanted to be a doctor in the medical profession for as long as he could remember. Saving lives, helping those who needed it; it was a calling that he couldn't ignore. And with certain natural gifts, he believed he could do rather well.

They were quiet for a moment; Usagi had a soft smile on her face that he found curious – why had his profession caused such a reaction? It wasn't nearly as outlandish or exciting as an archaeologist; in fact, nowadays there was a great number of people who wanted to be doctors, so why then the pensive mood? "I could see that," Hanada commented at last; and finally he made the connection.

"Me, too," Midori added with a smile.

They had probably been thinking about the that night, when Sailor Mercury had really hurt Hanada, and how he stepped forward and took care of things. He had looked back on that time on occasion, and was proud of his reaction – he had been quick and he had known what to do. It was true that in the future he wouldn't be so able to openly display his healing abilities, but that he had reacted calmly and kept his head despite the intensity of the situation made him feel as though he could handle any medical emergency he was up against and stay cool and confident enough to lead the team as a doctor should.

The revelation of his healing abilities to the team at large had gone well; it was treated as he had hoped it would be – with more of a "Huh, well that's cool," as opposed to reacting as though he was an anomaly in a bad way, as some of the children in the children's home had done. Moegi had crossly asked why he hadn't told them about it before, but, honestly, he just didn't think about it until it was necessary. … just as he hadn't really considered that it had been the reason for their reactions until it became obvious.

The conversation changed topic from there, but as the sun started setting some time later Usagi slid her chair back and stood. "Thank you for the sundaes!" she bowed slightly to Midori.

Midori leaned forward, the front two legs of his chair hitting the floor loudly as he replied, "Anytime, Usagi-chan. It was nice to meet you."

Kobai, Hanada and Moegi repeated the sentiment and she smiled, "It was nice meeting all of you, too! But I have to get home before I get grounded again." She reached down and picked up her book bag, then turned to Mamoru with a sweet smile, "Mamo-chan, could you walk me home?"

He stood up immediately, "Sure," he replied, glad for the excuse to spend some time alone with her. Picking up his own school bag he turned to the table of guys, "See you later."

"Bye  _Mamo-chan_ ," Moegi replied with a wave. They turned to leave as Midori echoed and Hanada and Kobai resisted the urge. As they walked away he thought he heard them talking about whether or not it'd be strange to go back to his place anyway and bug Helios for a while; Mamoru was pretty confident that they would be there when he got back and they wouldn't  _just_  be bothering Helios.

Walking home with Usagi was nice; he was a little nervous, and so, it seemed, was she. But as they started talking and she started laughing they both relaxed. They talked about school at first, and then she spun around a bit, excited to be 'free at last!' and how she would never again be caught leaving the house when grounded, which brought the conversation to their other lives. She checked her earlier assumption, "So, your friends, Midori and Moegi and them, they're the other Kings, aren't they?" He nodded, and she paused, "Did they know about me?"

"Do they know you're Jewel Tiara?" he clarified; she didn't look bothered either way, and he answered, "No; that's your secret. And remember that new ally we have? She still doesn't trust you with the senshi's soul gems, so I thought it best to keep my knowledge of you in any capacity a secret."

She nodded, looking thoughtful, then changed the subject to more normal things for the rest of the walk. When they reached her house they said goodnight and Mamoru walked home. At one point as he left Usagi's neighborhood he felt as though he were being followed, but as he paused, looked and listened, nothing presented itself as extraordinary so he continued on. When finally he reached his apartment, he found his guess had been right; they were all there, ready and waiting with embarrassing questions or assumptions about his relationship with Usagi. He weathered it all well, letting all the ribbing slide off his shoulders and only answering any question that seemed like an actual question, which pretty much meant he only responded to Kobai and Hanada.

It continued that way for the next couple of days – between practices and meets and homework, when they were just hanging around Crown Arcade or Fruit Parlor, Usagi would occasionally join them. He thought that the nervous excitement he felt whenever he saw her would fade away, but, for the first week at least, it only intensified. Whenever she was around all he wanted to do was be close and closer to her, to make her smile or tease her until she exploded in an energetic display of frustration. Still, no matter how nuts he drove her, if she stayed with them until after dark he would walk her home.

On one such occasion, after saying goodnight, as he was walking back from her house alone the lights around him suddenly went out. Not just the street lights, but the lights in the surrounding houses, as well; both up and down the street not a single light was on, and an eerie feeling crept through Mamoru. Gripping his bag he walked a little faster, needing to get to a cross street and see if the impossible were true; as he stood in the middle of the street, he saw it clearly: from skyscrapers to car headlights, all of Tokyo was dark. A regular blackout wouldn't go that far.

His watch's alarm went off and he quickly answered the summons. Immediately Hanada appeared on screen. "We need all of you back here! The top of Tokyo Tower is glowing – it's Venus!"

Sailor Venus was showing her face at last; after so long she was finally playing her cards. "I'm on my way," he replied, cancelling the transmission. He took two steps forward and paused, wondering if he should go back. Usagi was on their side; as Jewel Tiara she had powers and abilities that could help them, and when facing Sailor Venus there was something for her in this battle. This was the last senshi; this was the last soul gem. After this, maybe she would know why she was collecting them, why they had such an emotional connection with her. But… he couldn't help remember the danger Hanada was in in the fight against Sailor Mercury, and the last thing he wanted was to put her in that danger. If anything happened to her…

Footsteps on the road beside him made him turn; in a split second he had grabbed his pendant and transformed, a rose held threateningly in his hand as he glared into the darkness. "Hold it, 'King," Kobai's voice cautioned from the darkness. As his eyes adjusted to the faint moonlight he saw them –both West King and Midori transformed, approaching quickly.

"What are you two doing here?!" Mamoru demanded in a shout, not knowing what he was angrier about: that they had followed him to Usagi's house (and who knew how many other times they had done so!) or that they were  _both_  there! If Venus had found them the Prince charade would have been for nothing and they  _both_  could have died!

"Let's go; she's probably got something huge in store," Kobai replied, completely ignoring his question as he and Midori moved past him, striding forward purposefully, if watchfully, both of their heads moving left and right as they scanned their surroundings. Filled with frustration, he followed, frowning but keeping watchful, too. Later he would berate them; if he really were the leader of the Kings and it was his job to make sure Midori was safe, there had to be some form of punishment for their disobeying the agreed-upon arrangements and placing them both in danger.

They started to run then, keeping together in a loose 'v' formation as they increased their speed, then jumped onto lower buildings and up onto rooftops as they sped through the city, the Tokyo Tower a glowing beacon before them.


	11. The True Prince Revealed!

They met with South, North, and Helios and paused, waiting in the shadow of a building, a shadow cast by the immense glow emanating from the top of Tokyo Tower. They were caught up in moments; Venus was indeed there, but other than creating a spectacular light show with or without the city's electricity, she was idle. "She's waiting for you," Beryl affirmed, hovering beside East King, returning from surveillance. She looked at Mamoru, "You don't have to go! She's ready and she's confident – I don't think fighting her at this time is the right move; we should wait for her to be a little less prepared!"

"And do what in the meantime?" Mamoru asked skeptically, "Hope she doesn't try draining everyone's energy and feeding it to their Queen?" he looked around at the rest of them and continued, though in their expressions he could clearly see they were with him. "When have we ever caught a senshi off guard?  _They_ are the attackers,  _we_ are the defenders, and like it or not we're fighting on her terms no matter when we face her." He glanced around the building and glanced up at the bright yellow glow emanating from the tower; he couldn't look at it straight on – it was too bright – but he could take a guess at how high it was. Part of him wondered if she were actually on the tower or was somehow floating above it; the possibility that she could fly had discouraged him, but looking up now he was fairly certain that she was on the structure. They just needed to find a way to climb up there without her knowing.

He ducked back behind the building before she could spot him and waited for his eyes to adjust again; Beryl's eyes adjusted automatically and he wished their masks did the same to filter out the excess light Venus emitted. For a moment he eyed Helios and paused, wondering if the Pegasus could fly with one of them on his back… they could fight Venus or distract her using Helios's three dimensional movement… but it would be putting Helios in undue danger. They didn't know what Venus's attacks were like, and if they were ranged they might be creating more of a sitting duck situation than a distraction. Maybe surrounding her would work better; if they could come from all four sides of the tower… jump as one, weapons drawn and ready… could they surprise her?

"Listen," he started, calling their attention, "I think surprising her is our only chance. Helios, you stay here with Midori; if anything happens, get him out of here." Helios nodded, his red eyes turning to Midori and East. Midori didn't look like he quite enjoyed this plan, but he would just have to deal with that; he had put himself in enough danger that night by running around alone with the decoy Prince. "Everyone else, let's take a side of the tower and jump as one – she wouldn't expect an attack from all sides at once, and if our weapons are drawn and attacks ready, we might be able to get her off her guard long enough to… well, to take care of her." He was still uncomfortable with what they were actually doing; he didn't like to admit aloud that they were killing these girls. Enemies or not, death was not something he enjoyed having on his conscience.

"Great plan and all," Midori commented, "But I think I should go with you." He put up a hand before Mamoru or anyone else could object. "Listen, she  _knows_  there are five of us, and as you so eloquently pointed out earlier, she thinks East is the Prince. Now don't you think she'd find it suspicious if only  _four_  of us went into battle, and one of those four was the Prince you've been sworn to protect? I think she'd connect the dots and make him for a decoy, then quit the scene and come right after us. If, however, I went with you, she'd still think West was the Prince and was just a stubborn ass about being protected."

"Like you are so intent on being?" Moegi stated.

Midori shrugged, "Yeah."

North sighed, looking generally unhappy as he sided with Midori, "I hate to say it, but that's the best option we've got."

Mamoru folded, knowing that if Hanada backed it, it really was their best option. "Fine. Stay with West –" he directed, but was interrupted by Kobai.

"I think he should stay with you, instead." West offered. "As you were so keen on pointing out earlier, if I'm the false Prince, the real Prince shouldn't be anywhere near me. With your sword you'd be best able to keep a good defense on him. Besides," he added, "you are his primary protector."

"Okay, okay," Mamoru granted, turning to Midori, "Stay close. If things get dicey fall back, got it?"

Midori smiled, "Sure."

His cockiness would get them all killed. They decided to take the side associated with their title; representing the West, Mamoru and Midori stayed where they were as the other slunk away, Moegi to the right, Kobai and Hanada to the left. They waited for the signal, Mamoru running over any possible situation he could think of and whispering to Midori what he needed to do if any one of the imagined scenarios took place, from which way he should dodge to how he would drop and fall. For once Midori seemed to be paying attention; but it could partly be due to Helios's presence near them. Beryl had returned to aerial surveillance, the only good thing he could think of when from out of the corner of his eye he saw Jewel Tiara rushing towards them. He tried to signal her away, tried to motion her to stay back and out of sight, but she shook her head and joined them, the gems in her belt glowing brightly in the shadow in their building.

"You shouldn't be here!" Mamoru declared, taking her arms gently to keep her in place, trying to convey the seriousness of this situation to her. His hands thrilled at the touch of her skin, but the fear he felt for her completely overpowered any joy he might have felt with such a touch before. This enemy was unusual; the others were different – Mars and Mercury had been running energy stealing operations when they fought them. Jupiter had fought them out of revenge for Mars, or so they believed, but Venus? Venus sought them out. Venus was prepared for them, so prepared that she was casually waiting for them to arrive to fight her. Mercury had almost killed Hanada; Venus… Venus was their leader, stronger than the others; she might succeed. This could be their last battle together, and he didn't was Usagi to risk her life in this!

"I told you before!" Usagi declared, her veil twitching over her mouth as her voice matched his for urgency and righteousness. Her eyebrows unknitted themselves, her expression softening as she continued, "I want to help you."

"You're Jewel Tiara," Midori stated.

She stood back and nodded to him, pulling out of Mamoru's grasp. "Listen," Mamoru tried again, pulling at her attention and reaching for her. She evaded his grasp but looked at him guardedly. "Listen, I'll get the gem for you. I'll keep it safe and give it to you when the battle is over, just, please, stay back."

" _I'm in place_ ," West said, his voice coming in over the communicator watches.

" _Ready,_ " South and North said together.

"What's going on?" Jewel Tiara asked, her eyes leaving him to find Midori.

"We're surrounding her; we're going to catch her off guard—" Midori stupidly answered.

"We've got her – go home, it's too dangerous!" Mamoru pleaded, hearing the weakness in his voice and not caring. He couldn't risk her.

"You'll need a distraction." The words were out of her mouth and before his mind could wrap around what she had said, she stepped forward, ripping the veil from her face, and kissed him. The kiss was brief and hurried, but the feeling of her lips on his was warm and soft and sweet, eliciting a feeling that was both wonderful and frightening to him; frightening only because it felt like a goodbye. He couldn't react fast enough; just as he realized what she was about to do she was gone, running out into the bright glow and pulling off her tiara, aiming for the bright light at the top of the tower.

"WAIT! USAKO!" Mamoru cried after her, dashing out from behind the building to follow.

"NOW! GO NOW!" he heard Midori yelling from behind him, and while he knew he should tell them to stop, that there was a new plan, that going now would be ineffective, all he could concentrate on was the retreating figure ahead of him, her black boots striking the pavement in time with the pounding of his heart. As the spinning golden circlet left her hand and flew upwards, he leaped toward her, feeling the cape form at his shoulders to propel him forward. He collided with her just in time, throwing them both forward as a laser of yellow light streaked through the air and burned a hole in the rooftop behind them. Cradling her as they fell, he managed to put his shoulder down first to break her fall, then rolled over to deposit her on the ground and jump back to his feet, summoning his Rose Sword just as the beautiful warrior Venus descended upon them.

He braced himself as she met his sword with a golden chain pulled tight between her gloved fists, her gaze murderous and her mouth in a tight frown as she bore down upon him, blonde hair cascading over her shoulder as the force of her blow made his feet slide backwards. He was terrified; as tight as they were, he knew she was just toying with him. If she wanted, another of her laser attacks could kill him easily, and then Usagi would be alone.

"Usagi-chan!" Midori's voice called, "Over here, stay behind me! He can't attack if you're there!"

Stupid-ass Midori! Mamoru cursed, hearing Jewel Tiara pick herself up off the ground and hesitate a moment before running to Midori's side. Now the two people he needed and wanted to protect were in one convenient location – his Prince and his dumpling head, standing together like ducks at a shooting range. Midori's stone knuckles would do nothing against Venus's –

Venus suddenly threw more force into her chain, breaking their stalemate. His sword fell to one side, his left hand keeping hold of it and his right going up in a defensive gesture, summoning another rose, but Venus's advance stopped there. She stood before him, her gaze turned on the two important people, one hand firmly on her hip, the other held the chain of golden hearts in a fist. "Is your love so fickle, Prince?" she asked, her voice a dangerous threat just above a whisper. Mamoru prepared to stop her advance on Midori, but then her icy blue eyes slid over to stare squarely at him.

He met her gaze with confusion – with all the safeguards they had in place with West King, and with the real Prince in front of her, she had somehow gotten the notion that  _he_  was the Prince. At first he decided to take the assumption and run with it, to protect Midori with the ruse until the others could join and make it a fair fight, but then her empty hand raised, a single finger pointing towards Usagi. "I should kill you," Venus declared, her eyes bearing into his. "For what you have done, you do not  _deserve_  a second life," her voice caught in the sentence, choking as if with emotion before she carried on with a stronger voice, "but we need the Golden Crystal and only you know where it is. So here is the deal,  _Prince_ : the crystal for  _her_  life."

His sword fell an inch, his entire body weakening as his heart slowed to a crawl, falling to the pit of his stomach as his body chilled over with fear. What should he do…? She couldn't have the Golden Crystal – it would spell doom for the world… and he didn't have it, anyway. But he couldn't say that he didn't have it, or else she would know he wasn't the real Prince and she could turn on Midori. Maybe he could stall her? "It's not here," he said, but had to repeat, his voice dry and cracking. He wet his lips and cleared his throat before trying again, "It's not here. I don't keep it with me. If you give me time I can go get it and return."

She smirked, "You fool no one, Prince Endymion." A light burned at the end of her finger, the threat obvious, "This is your last chance. The Golden Crystal for her life." She waited for him, but he had run out of ideas. He glanced over to them, to Midori and Usagi, and could barely breathe. He didn't know what to do. "Don't make me kill her," Venus prompted, the glow at her fingertips intensifying.

Suddenly she phased away as a flaming knife shot through the air where she had been. Moegi. Relief went through him like a shockwave; he dropped his sword as he fell to his knees, his mind reeling from the close escape. It was completely dark then, the electricity still off and the glow of Sailor Venus disappeared, but as the moonlight gave him sight, he yelled a warning, "USAKO!" for in the moonlight he saw her, floating ethereally with one finger extended, pointing at Jewel Tiara. As his yell echoed across the rooftop she let loose a beam of light that tore through the sky towards the slight figure in the little white dress…

But instead hit a King.

Midori moved quickly, stepping in front of the laser to block Usagi from the blow. It tore through him and knocked him back; he fell on Usagi and hit the ground hard, the movement of his body telling Mamoru that he was already unconscious. Mamoru launched forward, throwing himself towards his downed friend, already calling his healing powers and praying that they would be of some use. Usagi was holding him as best she could, tears streaming down her face, her gloved hands both holding him and attempting to apply pressure to the one-inch-diameter hole in Midori's chest. "You idiot!" Mamoru yelled, putting his hands beneath Usagi's, "You stupid moron!" he yelled again, "Wake up!" He threw his power at into the wound, yelling at his downed friend so he wouldn't so acutely feel the terrifyingly weak heartbeat beneath his palms. "Wake up, idiot! You can't die!"

Usagi was crying harder now, "Please, don't die," she whispered, "Please, Midori-kun!"

The idiot! He knew he was important – he  _knew_  that he couldn't die! But he did it anyway, just to save someone – why was he like that?! Why did he have to be like that?! "You idiot," he repeated. Power surged from him, pouring into Midori, but already he knew he didn't have enough to save him. He needed more power – he had to have more power! He gave all he could, forcing the healing energy in, making it knit the wound close, to mend arteries and veins, regrow muscle and bone. He was growing lightheaded, feeling the pulsing of his heart in his skull and the rushing of blood of his ears, but he needed more! He couldn't let this happen!

_Not again!_

The burning sensation started in his chest as a comfortable warmth that spread through his torso and down his arms to this hands, giving him the much-desired power he needed. More power, and more, flooding through him, radiating outward. In his sight his hands glowed brightly, shining golden, a warmer hue than the yellow Venus had expelled, a glow that comforted him and made him feel invincible. Suddenly healing Midori wasn't impossible, suddenly it seemed within his grasp. With this power under his guidance, he could do it. Gentler now, the energy flowed through him steadily, and soon Midori was breathing strongly, his skin healed beneath Mamoru's fingers. His eyes flew open, blinking rapidly as they spun around, looking at everything around him.

"I'm alive?" Midori asked with disbelief, coughing.

Usagi laughed, her laughter nervous and filled with relief.

"Yeah, no thanks to…" Mamoru trailed off, his attention transferring quickly from the recovered Midori to his own still-glowing hands, "you." The glow wasn't fading; if anything it was intensifying, spreading up his hands and arms, changing the color of his jacket as it moved, pulling power  _from_  him rather than supplying him with energy. '' _Not again'? What had he meant with that thought?'_ His body filled with pins and needles and his heart started to burn uncomfortably;  _'That extra burst of power…_ ' he wondered, gritting his teeth as the fiery sensation grew to encompass nearly all of him, ' _was it an exchange? My life for his?_ ' His head was so hot; pressure building unbearably in his mind. He put his hands to the side of his head, pressing it together, trying to keep a hold on himself. He took deep breaths, trying to take in cool air and expel some of the heat. Figures moved ahead of him, but it took a lot of concentration to make them out, even knowing that they should be Midori and Usagi; Midori's image kept fading in and out, yet stayed generally the same; it was disorienting, confusing – first he was there in his King uniform, grey-blue and lined in orange, and then he wore something similar, familiar yet entirely different, the blue-grey jacket now a white coat decorated with golden thread. In either vision, Midori was clearly upset, yelling something and reaching towards him. Despite the pain and the overwhelming feeling of pressure that bore down on him, Mamoru still knew that if that were the case, if he had sacrificed himself to save Nephrite, he didn't regret it.

The pain intensified, something Mamoru didn't think was possible until it happened. ' _Nephrite?_ ' He doubled over, his elbows touching his bent knees, ' _Where did that name come from?!_ ' Looking up he saw him again and the name stayed – Midori? The word was quickly losing its meaning. The person in front of him was Nephrite, King of the West*, one of his guardians. And he… he was…

Endymion. Prince of Earth.

The pressure and heat burst forth from him, expanding until it felt as though his chest were being torn open. Floating before him, shining with the light of the sun, was the Golden Crystal. As he watched it slowly spin pieces suddenly fell into place, memories returning hazily: a white castle crested in gold, gardens filled with roses, a country, green and overflowing with life, passing him by as he rode over hills and through cities bustling with people, flanked on either side by his Heavenly Kings. Zoisite of the North, Jadeite from the South, Kunzite from the West and Nephrite from the East, friends and guardians who had been with him since childhood, prominent figures in his life, men he trusted for their thoughts as much as with his life. … and his secrets. Rushing back with the bright days came the soft nights, with moonlight on petals and bouncing off of soft silver curls… his heart constricted to a single point as one word came to mind, one desperate word:  _Serenity_.

His eyes shot open and the golden glow faded completely as his hands shot out to the concrete on either side of him, pressing palms to the surface and sending out an echo of power. His energy shot through the steel of the building, bouncing through to the ground and beyond, traveling along and through the surface looking for the familiar feel of her soul. Already, recognized pinpricks of power were located, all within his immediate area: the light green glow of Nephrite, darker green of Jadeite, deep blue of Zoisite, soft pink of Kunzite, the yellow shine of her guardian, Sailor Venus, and the muted glows of Mercury, Jupiter and Mars… but there was nothing else. He shot out another pulse, and another, feeling, looking for the moonlit silver shine of her, but there was nothing. His fingers curled into his fist, skin tearing and healing as his head fell, eyes staring blankly at his black pants and the deadened crystal resting in his lap.  _Nothing._ His vision blurred as tears fell, reality setting in.

He had failed.

Serenity had not been saved.

There was a flash of light before him as Venus renewed her attack and Kunzite slid in to meet her, his voice carrying commands to the other Kings as he kept her at bay. Endymion was hauled to his feet, the crystal thrust into his hands as they pulled him towards the edge of the building, Zoisite speaking quickly to the other two as they went. They reached the darkened area and Helios met them in his full form, charging forward and pausing long enough for Endymion to mount. There was a huge commotion, voices shouting and Helios taking off in a flurry of feathers and wings as energy attacks shot through the air. Endymion turned, knowing something was wrong, and a split-second before he and Helios vanished, transporting away to safety, a scream of pain and defiance ripped from his chest.

Sailor Venus had Usagi.


	12. Princess Serenity

Usako was in danger – why was Helios running away?!

They reappeared in a dark place, the room feeling small and cramped, his head almost brushing the ceiling and Helios's wings folded in around him, adding to the feeling of claustrophobia and panic that surrounded him like a dense fog. Memories were returning to him quickly, threatening to bowl him over with their urgency and vividness, an overwhelming sadness ominously calling for his attention, begging to be seen and heard, to be remembered. He was afraid of it, afraid of what it could mean, what all of this meant, but he concentrated on throwing those worries to the background of his mind to focus on the terrifying and very real circumstances back at Tokyo Tower. "Go back! We have to help them!" he commanded, tensing for the teleport, already planning trajectories and reaching into his newfound power source for the energy to summon a rose. They could come in from above, surprise Venus or defeat her, and catch Usagi on the way down. So long as Venus didn't see them coming it could work –

His feet suddenly hit the carpet as Helios slid out from underneath him, the Pegasus shrinking still as he flew away to land on the nearby table. They were back in his apartment, the slight light peeking through his window the only source in the blackout.

Incredulous and confused, Mamoru approached him quickly, "What are you doing!? We have to go!"

" _No, Prince, we don't,_ " Helios replied, his tone melancholy but firm.

Perhaps he didn't understand?! "Helios!" he implored, "Venus has Usagi! We're wasting time – we have to go back!" Still the Pegasus was silent, refusing to look him in the eye, and Mamoru's raw nerves sent him forward, sidestepping to stay in Helios's gaze, forcing his guardian to look at him. Finally he caught and held his stare, locking eyes with him. He would try one more time, voicing his greatest fear, "She'll kill her, Helios. We've killed all of her colleagues and there's nothing stopping her from taking revenge."

" _We can't risk losing you,_ " Helios finally stated, looking away again. Mamoru froze, the statement killing all feeling within him, his mind and body deadened by the realization that Helios had known the entire time and had  _chosen_  to ignore Usagi's plight. Helios was choosing to let Usagi die, rather than give him the chance to save her. " _It is unfortunate but—_ "

"Don't finish that sentence," Mamoru cut him off as hot anger rolled through him. Calmly he stepped forward and placed the Golden Crystal on the table, leaving it, and their stupid mission, behind, then turned to the far window by the desk. If he ran as fast as he could, perhaps he could make it in time, Helios's help or no.

" _It's too late._ " Helios said, stopping Mamoru in his tracks. " _Venus phased out with Jewel Tiara._ " Mamoru pushed open the window and paused, waiting with one hand clutching the windowsill for Helios to finish, feeling as though he were balancing on the edge of a knife rather than a windowsill. " _She was alive. Kunzite and the others are on their way back now._ "

Relief made him pause; she wasn't dead. Usako wasn't dead. The thought was an anchor for him, something he constantly kept close to, as he slowly considered his options. He… he didn't know what to do anymore. He couldn't follow her – he didn't even know where to start looking for her. The Moon Kingdom… his eyes rose to the sky, singling out the bright white orb suspended in space. The moon used to give him feelings of peace, but now, it only afforded him anxiety and dread. Was Usagi up there, alone and afraid? She had told him she hated to be alone… What plans did they have in store for her?

They would get her back. He stepped away from the window and collapsed in his desk chair, staring outside for the first sight of the Kings, pointedly ignoring the Pegasus in the connecting room. If he could promise nothing else about the outcome of this crazy and stupid venture, he promised that he would get Usagi back.

Moegi came in first, landing on the window ledge and stepping through, moving out of the way to make room for Midori, who carried something black and rigid in his hand, followed quickly by Hanada and Kobai, the fairy Beryl flittering in after them. The window shut without anyone touching it. Mamoru stood with them, and immediately all four of them bowed to him.

"Stand up," he directed tiredly, not at all thrilled by their act of respect or chivalry or whatever they thought it was. Nothing had changed – they were still friends, still equals. No matter what just happened, or who he used to be. "What happened?"

"Do you remember now?" Kunz—Kobai asked, ignoring his question.

"I'm trying not to." Mamoru stated flatly, making it clear that the present counted more than a life that ended thousands of years ago. "What happened?"

Hanada looked at him directly, his constant eye-contact conveying the truth as he retold the events. "When we escorted you to Helios she came with us – we were planning on sending her with you two to keep her safe, but as we helped you on Helios, one of Venus's attacks came through Kunzite's defense. Her golden chain was heading for you and Jewel Tiara jumped to defend you, and the chain wrapped around her instead."

Mamoru nodded, accepting that, even more than he had originally thought, he was directly responsible for Usagi's situation. He didn't think he was possible to feel worse than he had before the Kings had arrived, but he was surprising himself all over the place tonight.

"Once Helios teleported you away, we fought to get her back, hoping to kill Venus, but she used Jewel Tiara as a shield so our hands were tied. They disappeared before I could think up another strategy," Hanada finished, finally looking away.

"You did the best you could," Moegi stated, putting a hand on Hanada's shoulder. "It was over in seconds – if you had come up with something that quickly you'd be controlling computers with your mind or something." Removing his hand, the blond looked to Kobai, "When the Golden Crystal was activated, did you watch Venus?"

Kobai looked at him critically.

Moegi sighed exasperatedly, "Did you see the image behind her, or was I crazy?"

"What image?" Mamoru asked immediately.

"I thought I saw something, too," Hanada added. "A woman with blonde hair appeared behind Venus and said something to her."

Kobai nodded, "I saw her as well. Helios? Beryl?" he prompted, looking at the pair standing on the table.

Helios looked thoughtful, but shook his mane in response. Beryl watched Helios, patting him on his neck before replying, "I don't know who it was, but I remember her from that day." She looked back to Kobai, her eyes flashing to Mamoru momentarily, "When the Moon attacked, she led their forces in battle before their Queen arrived. She was the one that…" she trailed off, glancing at Mamoru nervously.

"The one that  _what_?" Mamoru prompted.

"The one that killed Princess Serenity."

 _Killed Princess Serenity._ The world began to spin. Mamoru stepped backwards and fell into his computer chair before falling into another age, his mind too tired to fight the memories any more.

…. _The Golden Age_ …

They had met in the springtime. It was early, early morning, the sun barely breaking the horizon; Endymion, after a long night of debate and strategic planning for a new water project, had made the foolhardy decision to stay up just a bit longer, to greet the start of a new day from his gardens, his view of the skyline nearly unobstructed to the east. When he took his seat the sky was warming. As he relaxed the stars disappeared – all but the planets Mercury and Venus, who remained up until their shine was overtaken by the brightness of the morning sun. As its rosy fingertips stretched out, giving the greenery a golden glow and casting long, loving shadows over the world, Endymion made the mistake of relaxing just a little too much and fell asleep. Always a light sleeper, he awoke mere moments later, but the strangeness before him had him questioning his consciousness. He blinked, but stayed otherwise motionless, not wanting to scare the ethereal being away were this truly reality. Instead, he watched it – her – as she watched him: with interest and mild fascination.

The ethereal sight took the form of a young lady. She had light skin, almost alabaster, as though she had never known the sun, and long silver hair that reached well past her feet despite the odd hairstyle the silver locks were knotted into. She wore a dress of white, spun like spider-silk, glittering with dew drops and held in place with pearls and rings of gold. There were only two true colors on the young woman – a bright golden sigil shaped like an upward-facing crescent in the middle of her forehead, and her bright blue eyes the color of the twilit sky. Those eyes were trained on him as his were on her, but when he blinked a second time a third color overtook her as the apples of her cheeks flushed soft red and she started to disappear, pushing herself out of sight behind a tree.

He sat up straighter and, never considering where this strange encounter with the fascinating, mysterious girl might lead, he asked, "Don't go."

And she didn't.

That morning, while the world was still awakening, he met Serenity. In their first meeting he learned many things about her: first and foremost, no matter how impossible it seemed, she was  _real_. She seemed as delicate as a pale sunbeam, but as her shyness wore away her bright and beating heart shone through; she was excitable, engaged, and as curious as a kitten – she metaphorically pounced him with a thousand questions about his garden and the city, about the flowers and the animals, the people and the parties – her thirst for answers was incredible, and the scope of her topics varied widely, always keeping him on his toes as her mind bounced from one question to the next. Her every action, every expression, endeared her to him – he couldn't help but like her, and the looks she gave him, so unguarded and trusting and happy, just made him want to live up to her expectations of him. She made him feel stronger.

But before it was her turn for questioning, she paused, looking behind her shoulder, her blue eyes tracing skyward, and took her hand off his. "I have to go," she simply said, giving him a final smile, one not as true as those ecstatic flashes she had given earlier. She stood and he stood with her, but as she quickly leapt away into the trees he had no chance of catching up with her – she was too fast. And then she was gone.

….

It was a month later when he saw her again. He had made it a morning routine to be in his garden at daybreak and would sit in apparent meditation for an hour, waiting to see if she would reappear, before conceding and returning to the garden areas closer to the castle for breakfast. His days were filled primarily with project meetings as he and his team attempted to make the world a better place for those subjects in the outermost areas of the Kingdom, but when occasionally left to his own devices Endymion would spend time in his library, researching what he could of a topic he had never quite given real thought to: the occult. From spirits and monsters to witches and gods, he searched deeper and deeper for a hint of an explanation for what he had seen that morning. The longer the span grew from their first meeting, the less sure his mind was that the girl, Serenity, had been real, but in his heart he couldn't just accept their conversation was something his overtired mind had created.

And so, when one morning she reappeared before him, rather than the once-well-rehearsed ' _Hello again_ ,' the words that came out of his mouth were "You're real." It was more perplexed statement than question, and her light laughter made him feel immediately foolish for not keeping a tighter hold on his vocal cords.

"Of course I'm real," she laughed.

When finally he asked her about herself, he had no choice but to openly accept the odd story about her origin; in truth, the idea that there was an entire kingdom on the Moon both fascinated and worried him. Fascinated by the very idea that the seemingly lonely neighbor was alive and filled with people like Serenity; worried by the realization that Serenity could traverse the space between them easily, and if she could, what would stop an invading force? The Moon Kingdom undoubtedly had access to powers that the Golden Kingdom did not, and while there had been no ill-will between their kingdoms, that didn't necessarily mean there were any good feelings either. But, perhaps, his meeting with Serenity would start the process to an alliance between their Kingdoms and he would not have to worry about the threat of a war.

It was during that meeting, too, that their friendship was suddenly laid out in the open as Kunzite fell upon them, somewhat apologetic with his already-stern unstated disapproval of the meeting. When he blatantly asked Serenity for her identity and purpose – for which Endymion immediately called him down for – rather than Serenity answering for herself, a blonde young woman in a short-skirted orange-and-white outfit appeared and stepped between them defensively. Serenity, laughing pointedly, took her companion's elbow and pulled her away. She introduced the young woman as Sailor Venus, and the blonde took over to make it clear that she was "Princess Serenity's" guardian. Kunzite then took his introduction into his own hands, adding embellishments like his status as leader of the Heavenly Kings and birthright of the sub kingdom to the west beyond his capacities as protector of "His Royal Highness, Endymion, Crowned Prince of the Golden Kingdom and Possessor of Earth's Own Golden Crystal" before making a remark about how hard it must be to be rein in 'such a curious princess'. It was stated innocently enough, but Endymion knew it to be a subtle prod and called him out again.

Serenity – Princess Serenity, he had to remind himself, wondering how that revelation might affect their relationship – was then escorted away by her guardian, Venus, but the smile she gave him as the blonde was telling her how terrible she was for sneaking away told Endymion that she would be back. He was looking forward to it.

…

He smiled at her gradual appearance above him, how her form seemed to glimmer for a moment before she was suddenly there, floating momentarily with her silver hair spreading weightlessly like she were suspended in water, before she was caught by his planet's pull and softly fell. He reached for her and she reached back, smiling radiantly. When their hands touched her fingers threaded between his and his smile widened; she pulled herself closer so when finally her feet touched the ground, she was pressed against him, their entwined hands at their sides. Again, with her presence so close to him, he felt stronger than he could ever be when alone, and, again, he was already dreading the moment when she had to leave. In his mind the crazy idea surfaced, not for the first time, but here, in the morning light, he felt it was finally appropriate to say aloud.

"Serenity," he began, her name still a blessing on his tongue, a word he thrilled to hear. "I love you. Would you -"

"Endymion," she answered quickly, her voice strained, her intention clear – she didn't want him to continue, and immediately he felt a fool. He had misunderstood. Somewhere down the line he had thought their feelings were mutual – that the stolen kisses and shared dreams meant that she, too, was falling for him. He pulled away from her, avoiding her eyes to spare his wounded heart and pride some pain. On the Moon it could be that the intimate displays of affection they had shared were commonplace, as normal and platonic as handshakes on Earth. He really was a fool. Embarrassed, he freed his hands and started to move away, but she caught him, holding one of his hands with both of hers, and asked, "Please, wait." He could never refuse her, and allowed her to lead him to the bench, the very same he rested in when he first saw her, and sat down beside her. He dreaded what would happen next – the speech, about how she saw him as just a friend, how they weren't meant to be, how they were all wrong for each other; he had heard it before, he had even given it once, and as hard it was to be on the giving end, he knew it would feel much worse on the receiving.

"Endymion," she repeated, but the weakness in her voice caught him completely by surprise, and his gaze was torn from the elm tree across the clearing to her, his entire body on edge, his will already determined to fix whatever had made her waver. In her blue eyes there were tears, her brows pressed anxiously together, her lips pursed in some unknown distress. He reached for her, putting his hands on her shoulders comfortingly, yet protectively – he should have known this would be harder for her. He would fix it –

"Serenity, it's okay –"

"We can't keep doing this!" she cried out, suddenly finding her strength. "We can't be together! It's against the will of the gods – we mustn't fall in love!" He nodded, hoping to placate her; in truth, he would defy a thousand gods if it meant he could be with her, but if it were important to her he would respect her wishes. At the very least, he took solace in the fact that he hadn't been completely wrong about their mutual attraction. He was just born on the wrong planet.

" _But it's too late_." Her voice was a whisper as she leaned forward and kissed him, her hand pressing against his cheek, fingers curling in his hair. He returned the kiss gladly, sealing a pact between them that nothing could separate them. Not even the gods.

…..

The battle was brutal; the Moon Kingdom had attacked at night during the full moon, coming out of the darkness with their terrible powers, dressed in battle regalia the likes of which the Earth had never seen before. Like silver wrought from the stars, it incased them in a beautiful and terrible light, making their soft and flowing clothing look fierce and formidable. At the forefront of their attack was Diana, who directed the troops even as she fought wielding her two spears; the Planetary Guardians were in attendance as well, but it seemed as though they held back.

Tense conditions and a well-timed warning from Serenity's messenger, a white cat, had alerted Endymion and his Heavenly Kings to the threat a mere hour before the onslaught began, and they were able to evacuate the town as they armed the standing army stationed in Elysion. To better protect his planet and his people, knowing full well that the enemy was after him for his possession of the Golden Crystal, Endymion used his powers connecting him to his planet to sequester the Golden Kingdom of Elysion into a pocket on the planet itself, an alternate dimension Helios and his maenads had created. There they waited, but still the attack caught them off guard with its quickness and severity. It was as though they were being hunted.

But only when the moon itself seemed to fall from the sky did things become truly dire.

It was not the Moon, as it turned out, but instead a glowing white chariot caped in fabric as black as night, so that when it moved it covered the true Moon to give the illusion that the celestial body itself were falling upon them. When his troops involuntarily gaped up at the terrifying sight, the Moon army turned and gave a hearty cheer, and Endymion wondered then what new horror had befell them. Already they were grossly outmatched; if not for Zoisite's strategies they would have already been lost, but now… now the tide of war truly raged in their direction, and as he finally saw the figure standing astride the chariot pulled by great and magnificent stags, he knew why.

He had never seen her before, but still he knew the strikingly beautiful woman to be Queen Serenity, for her daughter much resembled her. The Moon landed behind their troops and soon the warriors of the Moon doubled their efforts, and to make the wave complete, finally the Planetary Guardians came forward to fight, wielding their energies against his people. Knowing only they stood any chance against the girls, he and his Heavenly Kings descended into the battle themselves, and quickly lost sight of one another as they were swept away by the harsh reality of war. Kunzite lasted with him the longest before he, too, separated to duel a senshi alone.

Endymion kept his own against many foes, his presence alone encouraging his men and women to fight stronger, smarter, harder. But when it seemed his section was finally making true gains on the field, a smaller chariot landed and off stepped Diana, her spear pointing him out, selecting him as her opponent. She was not tall, but her very presence was formidable. Piercing blue eyes locked on him as she stepped forward gracefully, a smirk on her lips. He kept his sword at the ready, waiting for her, hating to see the spherical buns in her blonde hair for they reminded him too much of Serenity and the stark difference between the Princess and the General should allow for nothing of them to be the same.

She was suddenly there, spears crossed against his sword, leaning towards him with all of her weight on her weapons, still smiling wickedly. He pressed back, making her keep her distance as he fought to remain calm, to put some sense into what she had done – there was no way she could move that fast, there had to be some other explanation.

"Give it up,  _Prince_ , you've lost!" she breathed, as though the statement were a secret between the pair of them.

"Good will always triumph over corrupt hearts!" he replied, throwing his sword backwards against her. She retreated a few steps, her spears falling to her sides, but then grinned cruelly and was gone. He kept his guard up, looking for her, searching the crowd – "Move away!" he cautioned, and his people were quick to obey, leaving him to clear the immediate field of hiding places; a radius of 50 meters was emptied, and still Endymion was alone; Diana had not resurfaced. It was probably a tactic, a trick she would use to keep him off his guard –

He turned quickly to the sound of swishing fabric and a startled gasp behind his back and immediately dropped his sword as Diana disappeared.

No.

He caught her as she fell back against him, taking her lightly beneath her outstretched arms just as they grew limp, supporting her without thinking, his mind blank and confused as it fought to catch up. He stepped backward, going down with her, knowing subconsciously that she needed to be kept level. Finally he was on his knees, holding her, his eyes sluggishly moving to take in her injuries. Her chest and abdomen bled freely, the bright crimson blood soaking her delicate white dress. She had taken the blow for him head-on. "No." The single word escaped him as finally this thoughts reengaged. "No, no no," he repeated, pulling her closer to free his hands, resting her head against his chest as he worked his fingers over the wound and pooled his healing powers into her. The connection to her body made, he received signals of her vitals and his heartbeat quickened as his hope fell, and he poured more power into her, willing the golden energy to knit the arteries together again, to grow vessels and mend muscle, but his hands shook with fear. "Serenity," he called, looking down at her, his chin nearly touching the top of her head; her eyes were closed, her expression slack. "Serenity," he begged, shaking his shoulders once in an attempt to stir her, but her head simply turned to the side. He kissed the top of her silver hair, moving his hands farther up her chest and throwing more energy at her, but her signals were fading fast. There wasn't enough time.

"I won't lose you, Serenity," he promised; he wouldn't consider losing her – it wasn't an option anymore. She was his life, the sun in his sky, his very heart. He didn't dare think of what losing her would mean, for he knew if that if he turned his mind down that road he, too, would be lost. But then… he held her closer, what was life without her? If she were to die, he would follow her. Simple as that. Then she wouldn't go alone and he wouldn't be alone and that was good enough, right?

Yes. That was enough. Within a heartbeat he knew, too, that the others had died in this terrible war, the light from their soul gems gone or about to fade out. They would all be together in death, and that was good enough…. But could it be better?

A mad thought stuck him – flowers. Flowers died in the fall and were reborn in the spring, the seeds of one life creating another. Could he do that? Could the Golden Crystal's power of growth be extended to rebirth?! Could she live again?! It was worth it – it was worth everything, this insane idea that could mean his love would keep her life and live again. Maybe he would be reborn, too; maybe they would meet again. Maybe they would fall in love.

He unleashed it – all of his power - letting it go in one fell swoop. Letting it encompass him, grow beyond him, engulf her and his world and his friends, all the while keeping his wish as his final thought:  _Let us try again_.

_...Modern Day Tokyo…._

It had almost worked. He had been reborn, as had his friends, his guardians. The senshi, too, had been reborn, and so had their commander, but ultimately he had failed. Again he sent out is power to scan for her and her soft silver shine, but it was of no use. She wasn't there. Serenity was gone, and so was half of himself.

"Mamoru-kun, I'm sorry," Nephrite – Mamoru narrowed his eyes, forcing his mind to stay in the present; this was where he lived. This was his time now, and he had to pay attention; they couldn't lose the war. Midori hurriedly apologized, placing the item on the kitchen table, facing him square-on and shaking his head, "If we had known Usagi-chan were Jewel Tiara before –"

Usagi-chan. Usako. Emotions roiled within him – love, worry, fear… then shame for his betrayal as suddenly Sailor Venus's words made sense.  _Is your love so fickle, Prince?_

"What would that have changed?!" Moegi demanded, stepping away from Midori to physically oppose him. "Why would that have mattered?"

"Unless…" Hanada started, moving away from Midori as well, his expression hardening, his green glaring with his accusation. "You knew."

Midori broke eye contact, looking away, but Kobai met their gaze head on. "You knew?" Mamoru repeated, standing. It made sense – it made perfect sense. It would explain why Kobai was insistent about the two of them staying together; it had nothing to do with him protecting the false Prince Kobai, but rather the strongest of the Kings protecting him, the real Prince. It explained why Kobai and Midori had followed him earlier that night – they were protecting him, without his knowing, as though giving him some slack and just letting him believe he was alone. Midori had continued to play the role to continue to shade his true identity, even from their other teammates. Helios had moved back in to keep an eye on him while keeping up the charade. He was shocked at having been lied to so much and so thoroughly, and by people whom he had trusted. On top of everything else that had happened… He closed his eyes, not wanting to even look at them. All he asked was one question, one whose answer had better be good and well-reasoned, else any semblance of friendship between them be forfeited. "Why?"

"To keep you safe," Kobai replied immediately, as though the answer were obvious.

"Not good enough," Mamoru replied, forming his hand in a fist at his side.

"Moegi told –" Midori started, but Moegi quickly interrupted.

"Leave me out of this! Apparently that was the plan all along anyway, right?" Moegi snapped, crossing his arms angrily.

Midori started again, talking over Moegi's protests, "Moegi told me that before you found me and thought I was the Prince, your plan was to finish this thing without involving him. You didn't want to drag him through this and make him fight, you wanted to protect him and respect him by leaving him be, and letting him lead an ordinary life while we, the Kings, took care of things and resolved the Dark Kingdom's plot. When Kobai and Beryl told me the truth of things, I thought…" he paused, as though considering, "I thought it would be best to resume the original plan. While you weren't entirely out of the loop, you could still continue on without knowing and together we could defeat the Venus and the whole Dark Kingdom scheme would crumble and you'd never have to remember what happened back then and have that mar your current life. I continued to act like the Prince so you wouldn't have to really  _be_  him."

Mamoru sat back down and put his head in his hands. It was too much to process at once; his brain felt like it would explode and he wanted to scream. He wanted to scream until his voicebox burned, until he had nothing left: not the duplicity of Kobai and Midori's actions or reasons, not the soreness of his body for using the Golden Crystal for the first time, not the shock of losing Usako and the guilt for involving her, or the pain of really, truly losing Serenity. His eyes burned, remembering those sunlit mornings and her smile.

"Let's go." Hanada stated, moving towards the door and pulling Moegi along with him. To the second's protests he quietly, but still audibly replied, "We can ask them about it later." Their footsteps receded to the entryway, where they waited.

"Helios?" Kobai asked, though his question was more a command.

" _I know_." With Helios's reply, Kobai moved away, Beryl's flittering wings following him.

"Midori." Hanada called.

"She…" Midori started, his voice still coming from where he had stood before. He heard scrapings as Midori lifted the black object from before off of the table. "She dropped this before Venus took her. She knew what the gems could mean and…" he hesitated, then the put the object – Jewel Tiara's Soul-Gem-studded belt – back down. "I'm sorry, Mamoru. I really like Usagi-chan. We'll get her back, I promise."

And with that, they left, and Mamoru tried to piece his life back together.


	13. Fragmented Kings and a Useless Crystal? The Prince’s Trepidation

All that night and through the next morning, Helios was as quiet as possible – a smart move on his part, for while Mamoru understood the rationality behind what Helios had done, he had not forgiven him for it. Mamoru slept for nearly 14 hours that night, rocked by constant nightmares, one after another, focusing primarily on Usagi and the Dark Kingdom. In one she was caged, in another, bound, in yet another she was lying in a coffin, the flesh melting off her face and reforming into something sinister. Each dream was worse than the last, each her situation more dire, the consequences of losing her to Sailor Venus becoming ever more terrible. And while the dreams were horrible, he did not wake up screaming; whether he physically couldn't or his mind wasn't letting him as further punishment for not being able to save her were both likely candidates as to the reasoning. When finally he broke through and woke up, he was drenched in sweat and his heart was racing painfully. Taking a few deep breaths, he started his day as normally as he could, going into autopilot as he tried not to think at all. He went through his morning routine, modifying where he had to due to the late afternoon hour. It was almost easy, until he went in to make himself something to eat and saw her belt on the table, the little gems shining with inner light.

She dropped it. Even though her life was in danger, though she faced Sailor Venus, she was still thinking of others first. Before even trying to free herself she made sure that the senshi's power crystals would not be used to awaken their evil Queen. Usagi… he looked away, feeling ashamed all over again. He should have been there.

Without touching it, he left the kitchen, slipped into a pair of shoes, and left, deciding that he wasn't hungry after all and that some sunshine would be good for him. As he exited his building he was immediately joined by Moegi, who kept quiet but alert as they walked. His presence was comforting; after all, Moegi hadn't known anything, thus hadn't hidden anything from him. He could still trust Moegi. He didn't know where he was leading them until they were already there: the Crown Fruit Parlor and Arcade. "Old habits die hard," he commented, more to himself than Moegi, and turned to look down the street, wondering where else he could go for some lunch without the possibility of running into Midori or Kobai.

"Do you want to go in?" Moegi asked, but as the door to the arcade opened they both stepped out of the way to let the young patron leave. He was a boy, probably late elementary school in age; as he left the building he was looking down, but glanced up at them once he made it through and paused, looking at Mamoru. Mamoru was sure he had never seen the boy before, but there was something unmistakably familiar about him; maybe the younger brother of someone on the soccer team?

"You're Chiba Mamoru, aren't you?" he asked, looking up at him with a bold expression that contradicted the timid hope in his tone.

Moegi looked like he was about to say something, but Mamoru nodded to answer the kid; he looked as though he were on a mission and, honestly, Mamoru hoped the mission was for him. He needed some sort of distraction; if the kid really was related to someone on the team, then maybe they were looking for him for practice. He'd be able to ignore Midori and still play to keep his mind off his life.

"Have you seen my sister?" he asked, sticking his hands in his pockets nervously and glancing away and back again. Mamoru's hope for a distraction plummeted as he suddenly placed the familiarity; the boy's general features shared similarities with hers. His eyes were even near the shade of hers. "I know you guys are dating and I saw you drop her off last night, but when the lights went off we couldn't find her and I just thought… well I thought maybe she snuck out to go on another date with you or something." He looked up, waiting for an answer, then shuffled his foot once before continuing, as though talking aloud was helping him through his worry for her. "She didn't come home this morning, and my mom and dad are getting really worried. I told them she was probably spending the night at Naru's house, but Naru hasn't seen her so I thought I'd try checking out her arcade and when I saw you I thought… well, have you seen her?"

Mamoru's mind skidded to a stop. What should he do? He couldn't tell them the truth; they'd think he was lying and making light of their situation by suggesting their daughter was a super hero – it would be downright disrespectful. He should offer to help them find her, but then he'd be wasting time he could be spending actually searching for her. But what, then? Lie to them? Keep them hanging and uncertain?

"I'm afraid we haven't seen her since yesterday, kid," Moegi said for him, speaking sympathetically. The kid, Shingo, he remembered, nodded, looking away from them. "We'll keep an eye out for her though," he consoled, "Maybe there was a surprise candy store opening? I know how much Usagi-chan loved her sweets, right?"

Shingo shook his head, looking pointedly away from them as he gritted his teeth.

"We'll find her, Shingo-kun," Mamoru stated, "I promise." He meant it. There was no running, no distractions. They needed to find her and get her back – first priority. Shingo nodded once, mumbled "Thank you", and walked away. As soon as he left Mamoru turned around, facing Moegi, and twitched the watch hands to noon.

"What are you doing?" Moegi asked incredulously as his watch started beeping.

"Cutting the crap and calling a meeting."

…

With his arms crossed, leaning against the counter watching the door, Mamoru waited for Midori and Helios to arrive. They were the last; Moegi stood to his left, Hanada to his right. Kobai and Beryl sat at a table in the center of the room. If he could avoid involving them he would have, but doing so would be asinine. Both Kobai and Midori were strong, and Beryl and Helios had knowledge about the past that they couldn't afford to ignore. Even if neither of those were the case, begrudging them for their actions was wrong – they were just doing what they thought right, but while Mamoru could rationalize their behavior all he wanted, there was no changing how he felt. Finally the door opened to admit Midori and Helios. The brunet removed his shoes before entering and took a seat across the table from Kobai. He folded his hands on the table and stared at them, looking for all the world like a broken dog.

"We're finding Usagi-chan," Moegi announced as a way to start the meeting. "So… what do we know about the Dark—er,  _Moon_  Kingdom's whereabouts and their motives?"

"After last night I started remembering bits and pieces of my past life," Hanada offered, "But I don't remember any open hostility from the Moon Kingdom. Or anything about them, really." He paused, "until the last battle."

Both Moegi and Midori nodded in agreement. Kobai looked at Helios for answers. After a moment watching him, wondering if Kobai knew more than he was letting on, Mamoru looked to Helios as well.

" _They were mostly an unknown,_ " Helios commented, standing on the table to survey them all. " _From what I remember, up until the last few years of the Golden Kingdom's reign they were just benevolent and silent overseers of Earth, almost like a last defense for life. Older tomes told of times when they would descend from the Moon and fight mysterious evil forces on our planet, then leave._ "

"What made them change so drastically between those 'olden times' and our Golden Age?" Hanada asked.

" _I'm not sure…_ " Helios trailed off, looking over at Beryl, who sat on Kobai's shoulders with her knees drawn up.

Sensing their eyes on her, Beryl folded her legs another way and took a curl of her hair between her fingers and worried it as she spoke, "We didn't know for sure, but…" she glanced apologetically at Mamoru, "it might have had something to do with their Princess falling in love with a Terran."

"None of that matters now," Mamoru stated, closing the subject and internalizing further implications that this entire mess, all of their hardships, was his fault. "Where do they call base now? Where are they keeping Usagi? Are they on the Moon?"

"How could we get to the Moon?" Moegi marveled. "Midori?"

Midori's chuckle was half-hearted. "I think that'd cost a little more than my yearly allowance."

"I don't think they're on the Moon anymore," Beryl quietly said, her wings fluttering. "Throughout the eras following the fall of the Golden Age, I remained in Elysion, watching over the holy city and the gardens. I didn't know what the golden light did to everyone, but when the blonde warrior returned less than a year ago, I hoped it meant rebirth for everyone in the battle. The way she moved was purposeful, and though I didn't know what she planned, I left to find you, hoping you all had been reborn that I could reawaken you before the Dark Kingdom could destroy us again."

"They're in Elysion?!" Moegi spat incredulously. Mamoru's hands tensed into fists as a sour taste invaded his mouth. They were in  _his Kingdom_ , his _capital city_ , planning the destruction of Earth from its ancient seat of power; the thought infuriated him. Why would Diana use Elysion when her Moon Kingdom should have been whole? Was it to enrage him? Well, it worked. No more waiting; they would save Usagi and defeat Diana and end this millennia-long war.

"How do we get there?" he asked, unfolding his arms and straightening. He had brought the Golden Crystal with him; they could leave from here. He'd already be on his way if not for Elysion's relocation to a separate dimension. To his credit, Midori pushed back and stood, ready to go with him.

"Are we ready to face them?" Hanada asked cautiously. If it had been anyone else, Mamoru would have brushed them off and repeated his original question, but Hanada wouldn't have asked if he didn't mean it and have a specific reason in mind. So he paused, giving his attention to the blond. Hanada met his eye, "Venus won the last battle. She was in our world, we fought her on our time, and she still won. Do we really want to go running into their base while both she and blonde warrior are still at large? This could all just be an elaborate trap in order to secure the golden crystal; she might have taken Usagi specifically to get us to Elysion before we are truly prepared for this final battle. I think we should wait."

"Wait for what?" Midori asked, shoving his hands in his pockets as he stared Hanada down, "It's not like our waiting here for a more opportune time is making it any easier for Usagi-chan. The longer we wait, the rustier our skills get and the  _less_  chance we have at surviving. So long as our Prince is up for it, I say we go now."

"But  _is_  he up for it?" Kobai asked, leaning back in his chair and glancing back at them. Mamoru wanted to hit him. He was smug, he was elitist, he was secretive, he kept the truth from them seemingly without regret or remorse, and now he questioned Mamoru's abilities; there was nothing more Mamoru wanted to do than to punch him in his holier-than-thou face. Catching his stare, the grey eyebrows quirked. Mamoru twitched forward; immediately Hanada's arm went before him defensively, cautioning him to stay where he was. "Dislike me all you wish, Prince," Kobai said, his tone infuriatingly calm, "But it's my job to keep you safe, and, to my knowledge, you have  _never_  used the Golden Crystal offensively. Would you really like your first time to be when the Earth's survival is at stake?"

Keeping his eyes on Kobai, Mamoru released his frustration by unlocking his arms and slamming his fist into the cabinet behind him before turning sharply away, walking around the bar area into the billiards side of Hanada's game room. There he paused, breathing deeply as he stared at the green felt table and wishing the "Morning Star" wasn't right. He had never used the Golden Crystal to hurt anyone, in this life or his last. Now and in the Golden Age, he had only used it to rejuvenate. How, then, could it be of any use in this fight? Seemingly Ages ago, when it had only been the three of them, Helios had suggested the Golden Crystal would be the answer to all their problems; it would defeat the Moon Kingdom threat in no time, else it would at least stand equal to the Silver Crystal in battle. But what good was it if it could only heal? How could he use it to destroy this evil presence and save innocent lives? To save Usako's life?

He felt helpless. They had been so sure, yesterday; they had their plan and they were well on their way to completing their mission. One more senshi to go and the world was safe. They had found their Prince, completed the Heavenly Kings, and with Jewel Tiara on their side, they had secured immense wells of power that could not then be utilized in the Dark Kingdom. "Yesterday had been so much better," he commented quietly, staring at the white dots that marked the billiard table. His life had been so  _good_  yesterday. He knew who he was. He had a family, he had friends he trusted with his life – friends he would both live and die for – and he had Usagi, someone who brightened everything and made him feel complete. It couldn't have gotten any better than yesterday. But now?

Now he was a twofold failure, both betrayed and betrayer. He had been lied to and it had cost them all dearly; Midori almost died, Usagi had been kidnapped, Venus lived. He couldn't trust Kobai farther than he could throw him, and now he had to question his feelings for Usagi based on his love of Serenity. He had found that it was his fault that the Moon attacked, his fault that Serenity died, his fault that they were all here now, and he hadn't even managed to do what he had sacrificed it all to try: Serenity was dead. And to top it all off, he couldn't even utilize their only hope, the Golden Crystal, in any truly useful way. They had put so much stock in the Prince and the Golden Crystal being the  _last_  line of defense, the thing to turn to if nothing else worked.

And now here he was, completely useless.

"Hey." Mamoru focused, then turned to acknowledge the speaker. It was Moegi, looking a little uncomfortable. Behind him, Hanada and Midori were speaking very quietly with Kobai; based on Hanada's subtle gestures, it wasn't a particularly  _nice_  conversation. Part of him liked that, the other half felt like they were fighting his battles for him. Looking back to Moegi, Mamoru waited for him to continue. Moegi shrugged self-consciously, looking away, his eyes darting all around the room before he finally said, "I believe in you, okay? So yesterday was shit, so what? We'll get through it and kill the crap out of that blonde, rescue Usagi-chan, take back Elysion and save the world. That's all there is to it." Moegi crossed his arms, still uncomfortable, staring at the score-board mounted on the other side of the room.

Mamoru half-smiled. As terrible as he felt, he really appreciated Moegi's for saying what he did; that he even offered to say anything so openly and honestly meant a lot. Maybe they would do alright. Maybe he could learn to direct the Golden Crystal's energy into attacks. And maybe pigs would fly and Midori would pass all of his classes. In any case, he wasn't giving up, even if it did seem hopeless. He'd continue to try until they killed her or she killed them. "Diana," he corrected, a little late.

"Who?"

"The blonde in charge. Her name is Diana; she was the general of their forces and right hand of Queen Serenity."

Moegi looked at him full-on, both brows furrowed incredulously, "Okay, so? She's dying either way. I guess we have something for a headstone now, thanks." He shrugged his shoulders, putting his palms up the ceiling, and turned back to the others, "Did you hear that? Beryl, make yourself useful and start carving a tombstone for Diana. Make it tiny so we can step on it after she's dead. We're sure-as-hell not burying her in Elysion."

The quiet conversation stopped and Beryl jumped into the air, flittering above the table hesitantly. "And when do you want it ready by?" she asked, continuing with the charade as a means of masking another question.

All eyes shifted to Mamoru. As much as he wanted to say 'immediately', there was no way they would have a chance if they left now. Kobai was right – he needed more practice with the crystal. Hanada was right, too; they couldn't face Venus  _and_  Diana and whatever other monsters they had prowling around in Elysion and still hope to come out of there alive. No matter how worried he was about Usagi, going in now would probably cause her death rather than her rescue. They had to wait. "No rush," he answered, and the tension in the room plummeted.

…

Their meeting ended soon after without much progress anywhere else. Sunday was spent on the rooftop, trying to coax the Golden Crystal into attacking various targets to no avail. Monday came with a reluctant return to school; for the first time in his life, Mamoru considered skipping in order to try again with the Crystal, but in the end decided to go in hopes that when concentrating on academics, the solution for his problem would surface. He worked hard throughout the day, and continued to stretch himself in soccer, where ignoring Midori was a hassle, but doable. Afterwards he and Hanada went back to his place so he could work more with the Crystal.

By Thursday he was beginning to see some results; if he acted as though he had just thrown a rose, the energy would sometimes follow his hand, bursting forward with a golden glow. It worked best when his palm faced outward, but then he was beginning to see that the Golden Crystal's powers were more connected to his hands than anything. Through his hands he could heal, he could locate people and objects, and, as he practiced more and more, he could focus energy and send it out. Still, while it was impressive to affect things without actually touching them, he felt as though this development still wasn't enough to tip the scales in their favor. If only he could magnify the amount of energy; it felt almost like it was bottled-necked, like he wasn't allowing as much to pass through as he wanted or as it could allow. He had to figure out how to get around the block if he wanted any chance of success. He  _needed_  to find a way.

After school on Friday they started back towards his apartment to keep trying, but Moegi intercepted them on the way.

"Hey, Moegi," Hanada greeted, a little confused, "Don't you have debate practice?"

Moegi shook his head, "Rescheduled. Do you guys want to go hang at Crown for a bit?"

Hanada looked to Mamoru, obviously willing to do whatever he decided. Mamoru considered; while he needed to continue working with the crystal and the developments of the day before were interesting, he knew he needed a break. It wasn't that he felt depleted energy-wise, but mentally he could use a bit of time off, and hanging out with Moegi and Hanada would probably be a good step in that direction. He shrugged and nodded, and the three of them turned towards the shopping district.

When they reached the Crown Fruit Parlor and stepped inside towards their regular spot, Mamoru paused when he saw Midori sitting in the booth. He started to turn back when Moegi caught his arm and held him with a hard glare. "Time to "cut the crap", remember?" he spoke quietly, "It was a jerk move not to tell us, but he thought he was doing the right thing. Your 'silent treatment' or whatever you're pulling with him is messing him up; just forgive him already. You know he's got your back and he won't pull that shit again."

Pride flared instantly in reaction to the condescending tone and Mamoru's first instinct was to push past, keep walking, and add Moegi to his shit-list. The only thing stopping him, in fact, was the knowledge deep down that he was right. Would he have done the same thing if his and Midori's roles had been reversed? No, and he'd proven it – they told Midori that they thought he was the Prince almost immediately after his first transformation. But did he agree it was a rational alternative to their original plan to keep the Prince in the dark? Grudgingly, yes. He would not have agreed to such a plan, personally, but he could understand why Midori and Kobai did. Well, Midori more than Kobai; Midori, at least, seemed regretful when it blew up in their faces. And that regret Midori displayed led him to believe that Moegi was right in that he  _wouldn't_  do it again. Kobai on the other hand…

"We'll see," Mamoru growled in response, thinking of Kobai and wondering whether the man could persuade the others into something like that again. He turned around and completed the trip to their table, paying little attention to Midori and the somewhat-shocked look on his face as he sat down across the booth from him.

"Hey," Midori greeted, a small touch of apprehension creeping unbidden into his otherwise-casual tone. He leaned forward a bit, his hands folded together over the newspaper he had been reading.

"Hey," Mamoru replied nonchalantly, meeting his gaze in a conveyance of gradual forgiveness. He nodded towards the counter, "Go get me a drink."

Midori's brows furrowed, his face filled with shocked disbelief as he balked "Go get your own!" and folded his arms crossly. Mamoru chuckled, glad Midori wasn't going to try an apology by way of overcompensation; Midori, seeing his reaction, started laughing along. And just like that it was practically back to normal, so long as he could ignore what the other night had meant, or what faced them and the stakes of their upcoming battle. Hanada and Moegi joined them and conversation was easy, but distinctly avoiding mention of their other lives, of senshi and missing friends, of Crystals that didn't quite work, of Kobai and Beryl, or the world they were now starting to remember; however, while their words kept safely to clubs and sports, it was obvious that their minds were hovering around those unspoken topics.


	14. The end of the threat? The last senshi, Sailor Venus, dies!

As they finished their food and the plates were taken away, Mamoru's eyes suddenly focused on the newspaper article Midori had been reading before he sat down, the title and content of which he had obscured throughout their time in the booth in one fashion or another in a manner that made it seem inconsequential; however, as Mamoru's eyes briefly glimpsed the title, his mind changed. "Midori," he asked carefully, not immediately wanting to jump to the conclusion that Midori had been actively keeping secrets again, "What newspaper is that?"

He saw Hanada's eyes shift warningly towards Midori before the lights went out. As the hum of electricity died, so too did the voices in the café, until, all at once, the thrum of curiosity tinged with fear turned the restaurant to a quiet frenzy of whispers. Immediately Mamoru assumed the worst, but hesitated momentarily, having caught a snippet of conversation, "Was a blackout scheduled?" "It'd make sense, right? Based on what happened last week?" "But they didn't release such a statement…" Without needing to wait or ask, Hanada moved to let him out, and the four of them made their way through the darkness of the Crown Fruit Parlor towards the street, their feet guided by memory alone. Hanada led the way, and after just a few encounters with the other patrons, they managed to leave, spilling out into the street to find themselves in a loose crowd that stared in every direction, the people mumbling to each other, trying to find out what happened. Unlike last time, there was no full moon to aide them; only the faint stars.

They spread out, each looking up in a different direction, trying to catch sight of the telltale glow of Venus. Mamoru's section was dark and desolate, but while he moved to rejoin Hanada he kept his eyes peeled, just in case, part of him daring to hope that Venus would surface and would bring Usagi with her. "Nothing," he reported, his findings echoed by his friend and, moments later, by Midori and Moegi.

"Could it really just be a blackout then?" Midori asked aloud, his stance relaxing, but his shoulders still tense as his eyes shifted over the crowd warily. "Chiba, the crystal…" Midori started uncomfortably, "is it…?"

Guessing what he meant, Mamoru nodded curtly and replied, "Always." The crystal was  _always_  with him; he found he felt incredibly uncomfortable without it on his person, like he was constantly forgetting something urgent, like he had left the stove on or the door unlocked or had left his homework at the public library; it made him anxious. So the Golden Crystal, the most powerful weapon in their arsenal, the supposed carrier of his very  _soul_ , was in the front left pants pocket of his school uniform. Not exactly glorious, but it worked. Midori nodded at the reply, understanding, and stepped forward a touch, facing down the street, his eyes to the sky.

Mamoru crouched down and pretended to tie his shoe, masking his true intention as he laid his palm to the ground and sent out a single pulse in an attempt to locate Venus, were she even there. In his mind's eye buildings faded as the energy rushed past, a hundred thousand white lights springing into existence, each belonging to a citizen of Tokyo; however, other than the greens and blue glow of his guardians surrounding him, there seemed to be no sign of  _– wait._  He sent out another pulse, directing the majority of the energy towards the strange singularity downtown, but while he came up empty, he tried again, as something didn't feel quite right. A third and fourth time followed as he increased the frequency of the signal until, at least,  _There_  – he caught it. The tail end of a saturated orange-yellow glow. Venus. "She's here," he said quietly, a warning as he sent out other pulses, trying to figure out what was going on; one time she'd be there, the next she wouldn't – it was as though she were… teleporting.

He stood to find himself partially surrounded, each of his friends having taken a direction to scan as they waited for more information. "It looks like she's teleporting; I couldn't tell where she was heading but she was never in one place for too—"

"GET DOWN!" Hanada cried, turning to barrel him over as a bright light streaked past them; just as quickly as he was down, Hanada was back up and Midori took Mamoru's arm to pull him to his feet as Moegi yelled for the crowd to run and find cover, but his voice was lost in the cacophony of screams that echoed about the streets as chaos broke loose. Four, five –  _ten_  beams of light sailed down from the sky, each striking a target and knocking the person to the ground; breaking free of Midori's grasp, Mamoru dashed over to the closest victim, calling the Golden Crystal's healing powers to bear as he fell to his knees and turned the girl over, fearing it would be too late. What was the Moon Kingdom's game, harming innocents like this?! But as he turned the girl over and felt the life beating faintly within her, he realized that the game hadn't changed, but Venus's beams had.

"She's taking their energy!" he cried, his voice straining to carry over the roaring sound, "Kings! Transform!" Pushing himself back away from her, Mamoru tried to concentrate on his powers and transform instantaneously, but with more beams landing by the second, people dodging, screaming, crying, he eventually gave up, needing to be ready faster, and yelled the phrase aloud, "Pyrite Power, Transform!"

"Jadeite Power, Transform!"

"Zoisite Power, Transform!"

"Nephrite Power, Transform!"

Cloaked in their garb of the past, filled with strength and power, the four of them raced through the crowd, eyes up and searching for their enemy. Already East King's lightning-infused stone knuckles had come to bear; with a powerful thrust, he lunged off the ground and launched himself into the air, his boot catching on the side of a building to propel him upwards, his cape helping him to soar impossibly high, but by the time East reached their enemy's level there was no one there to meet him. "Left!" Hanada yelled, and Mamoru turned quickly, a rose on his fingertips and sailing skyward towards the yellow-garbed senshi as she bombarded the fleeing crowd with more energy-sapping beams, but before his rose could strike the target, she had disappeared yet again, her manic laughter echoing behind her.

"We need an advantage!" South shouted angrily, dodging around and over collapsed citizens.

"Rooftop!" North replied sharply, and the three of them joined East on the roof in a few short jumps. Venus reappeared and Mamoru threw another rose at her, this one laced with a bit of Golden Crystal energy. It hit, grazing off of her thigh as she twisted away. Her blue eyes sending him a hateful glare, she teleported away again, reappearing father down the street and raining down laser blasts on the confused populace. Surprised at her choice to run instead of fight, they gave chase, racing from rooftop to rooftop after her. He threw attacks after her as he could but she was too quick and anticipating; none struck. The toll was rising – if she got away, the energy she gathered would be an incredible boost to her cause, and an incredible loss to Tokyo and its people.

With a kick of speed he pushed forward, launching over alleys and connecting streets and finally gaining on her, his thoughts turning from the good of the world to the good of one – what had they done with Usagi? Each step was a kick forward, his legs propelling him such that each step was a leap closer to an answer, the thoughts he had kept bottled tightly threatening to spill: was she alright? What were they doing to her? Was she punished for dropping the gems? Were they taking care of her? Had she somehow managed to escape? … had her life energy been sacrificed to their queen? "Venus!" he yelled, the command to stop clear in his voice as he threw another rose at her, his eyes dangerous as he prepared another – he would have his answers!

She dodged the flower and was immediately on top of him, her gloved hand slamming closed on his throat as the force of her blow pushed them both backwards. His back hit the concrete roof roughly, and in the moments he spent in helplessness, the breath knocked completely out of him, she leaned close, her face inches from his with her golden hair falling around them like a curtain, her constricted blue eyes staring at him eerily. Her voice unlike that of a week ago, she hissed, " **Where is the Golden Crystal?** " Gritting his teeth he glared up at her and recognized that something was off about the girl – there was no cold calculation in those eyes, no hate-filled passion or heartbroken pain, just crazed obsession that seemed to increase at every moment; her tiara, too, was missing; in its place her forehead was marked with a symbol, a circle atop a cross, pulsating with an orange glow. Her lips pursing unhappily at his apparent hesitation, she pressed harder into his neck, crushing his windpipe. Willing his muscles to answer him, he tried to throw her away, but knew he wasn't quick enough when he felt the icy grip of her heart chain wrap itself around his leg and the uncomfortable pull began in his body as his energy slowly drained away. Finally his lungs started again, and in the first moment he pulled in as much air as he could around her vice-like grip. " **Where is the Golden Crystal?!** " she repeated, her eyes narrowing further, her pupils smaller than he could have believed possible.

"Whe—" he stared answering, but with his Adam's apple caught beneath her grip he choked on his words. Her scowl deepening, she leaned closer as though to hear him better, her grip lessening marginally; this was his chance. "Where is  _Usagi_!?" he countered, forcing his voice to work as he brought his right hand to bear and threw Golden Crystal energy at her. She was thrown backwards off of him, her chain ripping and tearing as it left with her, gouging his leg deeply, but he had no time to properly heal it. He rolled to his feet, favoring the leg, and quickly turned a rose into his sword. Holding it at the ready, he stood, prepared, as she picked herself up off the ground, visibly snarling. She whipped her chain around and he waited, wondering suddenly if the Crystal could combat lasers.

He never got to find out.

As the chain of interlocking hearts streaked towards him he threw up his sword as a shield, but before the attack could hit the chain was caught by a whip of malleable ice and jerked to the side. The force of the pull put her off balance, but for only a split second as she dropped the chain and pointed her index finger towards him. This action, too, was stopped abruptly as three fiery knives streaked through the air towards her, one piercing through the back of her hand. With a cry of rage she reached to remove it, ducking and rolling away as East King rushed her, his fist pulled back and ready. When he missed the King jumped out of sight and Venus had the split-second chance to pull at the metallic object, both of her gloves singed and burning as South's powerful fire spread. She managed to dislodge the blade only to have a handful more streaking towards her – she rolled to get out of their path and then looked straight up and lunged away as East King came down fist-first onto the rooftop where she would have been, but while she missed the brunt force of his attack, the shockwave sent her flying backwards, right through the tip of West King's sword.

The joint attack by his guardians was as quick as it was brutal, but still the battle wasn't over. Mamoru's eyes never left Venus, hoping to find some resemblance of humanity, some change in her, but even as her body staggered at the shock of impalement, the mark on her forehead blazed and her eyes never changed, her pupils pinpricks and expression manic and crazed. What had happened to her? ' _Is your love so fickle, Prince?'_ she had so softly demanded before, but now… ' _Where is the Golden Crystal?!_ ' Putting a hand on his wound he healed quickly, then stepped forward to approach her, both North and South Kings appearing slightly ahead and to the side of him, their weapons at the ready as they provided an escort towards the senshi that clung to life.

" **Give me the Crystal!** " she cried angrily. He tried not to pay attention to the trickle of blood running from her mouth down her chin, or the dark spot spreading quickly through the white leotard of her uniform, but the details stuck with him. The senshi were no different than they. Though they allied with darkness they were still just flesh and blood. If only they could be redeemed.

"Is Jewel Tiara still alive? Where are you keeping her?" West King demanded, his voice solemn and threatening. He held her in place with his forearm around her shoulders, keeping her impaled on his curved scimitar. The move was calculating and cold, but the choice of question caught Mamoru off guard; West King had always seemed so intent on the greater mission, and yet now, with their first and possibly only chance to interrogate the enemy, he was instead asking the question Mamoru most wanted to know, rather than the one that would mean most to their knowledge of the events transpiring in Elysion.

" **Do you really want to know?** " she returned, her tone changing, growing softer while her eyes remained as hard as ever. She tilted her head back towards West King, reaching up with one burned and bloody glove to place her hand comfortingly on his elbow, index finger tracing up his arm; it was odd, almost like a lover's caress. Something was definitely wrong – she could still be dangerous but Kobai seemed oblivious. Behind them cement crumbled as East King pulled himself out of the hole he had created. The distraction almost covered her words, " **Shall I take you to see, my Evening Star?** "

"West!" North shouted a warning, stepping forward in an attempt to break Kobai of whatever trance she had him in. At hearing his voice Venus snarled again, her index finger glowing as she prepared to fire, but West King was already reacting. Gripping her tightly, he pulled his weapon to the side, and she screamed, " **For My Queen!** " before erupting into light. Mamoru covered his eyes hastily, his cape appearing to counteract the massive shockwave that burst forth from her destruction. They all slid backwards over the pavement, but in the rush of wind that barraged him, he thought he heard her true voice softly whisper, " _ **Serenity**_."

When it was all over he opened his eyes to see her Power Gem hovering in place, its inner light harsh compared to the softer glows the other gems had emitted. West King, his expression pained but resolved, reached out and took the stone in hand. He gasped in unexpected pain, his hand quickly releasing, but with determination he forced his gloves to close around it.

"West?" East asked hesitantly.

"It burns," West commented quietly.

Beryl, flitting in from behind a stairwell on the rooftop, hovered before West, her hands reaching out to take it from him. "You were enemies; your kunzite energy is fighting her Venus energies," she said softly, but matter-of-factly. "Here, let me hold it for you, it won't harm me."

All eyes on her, South was the one to ask, "Why wouldn't it harm you?" his voice hinting at the sudden knot of suspicion they all felt. She herself had just said that Venus's enemies, or the enemies of the Moon Kingdom, could not hold it.  _But then_ , Mamoru wondered, glancing away from them all,  _what did that say of Usagi?_

Without taking her eyes off of West's, Beryl replied, "I don't have a soul anymore, so her energies will not conflict with mine. Let me take this from you, Kunzite."

She had no soul? Mamoru's attention snapped back, staring at the small fairy with the long wavy hair; no soul? Was that the price she had paid to survive the fall of the Golden Kingdom? Kunzite – West King – shook his head negatively. Still looking at the jewel in his hand, he asked of Mamoru, "Jewel Tiara's belt is still in your apartment?" Mamoru nodded, and West continued, "The belt must have some sort of containment function; we'll store it in there for now." He then sharply turned away from them, walking forward towards their destination, the arm that gripped the stone visibly trembling despite West's attempts; but it was his choice, so Mamoru didn't try to dissuade him.

They all fell in behind him, jumping from the battle-torn rooftop onto another, and another, running through the city, their eyes glancing down to the streets to gauge the amount of destruction Sailor Venus had wrought. The pavement was pock-marked with small craters, but most of the people were slowly picking themselves up, looking around confused, but safe. Helios joined them not long after. " _I was able to release most of the energy before it left,_ " Helios stated, coasting along beside them,  _"but some… might not make it._ "

They all stopped, staring at Helios and the implications of his words – some might not make it? People would  _die_  as a result of this attack? Citizen casualties… "Couldn't Chiba –" South stopped, glancing over at Mamoru through his red mask, "I mean, if he wanted to, couldn't he heal them?" Mamoru looked to Helios for the answer; if he could do something, he would. It was his fault all of this happened, and no one deserved to die because of him.  _Not again_ , he thought automatically, forcing down remembered images of Serenity's sacrifice and the emotions that he had yet to deal with. Even now, just the whisper of her memory threatened to undue him. He forced it down, concentrating on the Pegasus and the present.

" _He could, but the ambulances are already being sent out; by the time we separated the unconscious from the awakening, it'd be too late._ "

"Unless we found what hospital they're all being sent to," Hanada commented, "In a situation like this, they'd probably gather those with similar symptoms to the same place. We could find that place, get in, heal them and leave."

"You think they'd let him leave?" West commented condescendingly, his hand tight on the crystal as he stared at them all openly.

"Yeah," East commented, his brown brows knitting together in agreement with Kobai, "Guy comes in, mysteriously waves his hands over people, they wake up, and you think they'll just let him walk out? You're dreaming. They'd want to study him or dissect him or something."

"I won't let people die for this." Mamoru stated with finality, ignoring the confliction on Moegi's face, or the gradual acceptance on Hanada's. He would heal them. He was responsible for them anyway, right? And who says he'd get caught – he shouldn't have to hover over people to heal them; he could act like a visitor. Maybe just sending out a steady flow of power would work. Before anyone else could speak up, he stated, "Whether you approve or not, I'm going."

"I  _don't_  approve, but if you're going I'm going with you," Midori stated, his arms crossed in annoyance and his mouth set in a scowl. "Someone's going to have to break you out of whatever science lab they stick you in."

"They'd have to go through us first," South shrugged cockily, "And I like those odds."

Mamoru nodded, appreciating the support. He turned to Hanada for a suggestion of which hospital to visit first, but found the blond looking to their fourth, his expression hard to read. Kobai wasn't looking at them, instead his gaze moving through the buildings towards the rising moon. Beryl flittered beside him, her small voice barely carrying across the ten foot distance between them; that the crystal was hurting Kobai had slipped Mamoru's mind, and while they might not be on the best of terms at the moment, West  _had_  tried to find out about Usagi's predicament, and West was fighting for him. They'd just have to split up. Turning to North, South, and East, he quickly split the group into two teams. "You three figure out the situation with the people – once you find out which hospital they're grouping them into, send a message over the communicator and I'll meet you there. Helios," he added, looking to the hovering Pegasus, "Monitor energy signals; if someone's energy gets too low…"

" _I'll keep an eye out_ ," Helios replied, then disappeared.

"West, let's go," he finished, then led the caped King and the fairy Beryl, on to his apartment and Jewel Tiara's belt as North, East, and South got organized. As they got out of earshot, Mamoru slowed to run beside Kobai, at first keeping deliberately silent. Kobai, the Evening Star, West King, Kunzite; from what memories he allowed through from the past, he knew that they had been close back then. Like brothers. But now… Kobai had willingly withheld the truth. He was cold, he was calculating, he was stand-offish, and yet earlier he had wasted a chance in an attempt to help Mamoru, and only Mamoru. "Why did you do it?" he asked at last, keeping his eyes forward. He was still angry, but more willing now to listen to reason.

"Do what?" Kobai answered monotonously.

Any number of things, really. Mamoru chose the first, "Hide my identity."

He scoffed, "To keep you safe. To throw off the Dark Kingdom. It was never supposed to happen that way; if you were to awaken we had hoped it would have been after the Moon Kingdom had been dealt with. It was all for you, and, according to Midori, it was what you had intended as well."

Mamoru nodded, but did not comment.

"I regret what happened to Tsukino Usagi; I operated without enough information. If I had known she were Jewel Tiara I—"

"Wouldn't have let her anywhere near me?" Mamoru finished bitterly, remembering the distaste Kobai and Beryl had for Usagi's alter-ego.

"Truthfully, yes," Kobai replied, "but we didn't know who she was or what she was after –"

" _I_ knew!" Mamoru interjected angrily, stopping suddenly. Kobai skidded to a halt and faced him. "If you had listened you would have known, too! But right from the beginning you and Beryl had been against her – she didn't know who she was or her part in this – she was alone and had no one helping her or showing her the way, but she wanted to help us! She was as much against the Moon Kingdom as we were, and she didn't have history fueling her fire! She despised them for how they treated people – Jewel Tiara fought for justice, and you treated her like a spy for the enemy. If you had only trusted me –"

" _Trusted you?!_ " Kobai spat, his anger bubbling over at last, "Endymion, my life is  _for_ you! Since you were born I have been protecting you, watching over you, learning and growing with you – you are like a brother to me! And so I, more than anyone, know of your weakness for her! You gave your heart to her and some of your sense along with it!  _You destroyed our_ _ **world**_ _for her!_  So if the Moon Kingdom wanted to send a spy to unravel us, to steal the Golden Crystal and  _kill_  you, who better than a doppelganger of the Moon Princess? Who better to gain your trust and mislead you? So  _forgive me_ for not trusting you then! I said before that I regret that I was wrong, and I am truly sorry for the loss of Tsukino Usagi, for you, for her family, for the world, but I do not regret my mistrust towards your judgment of her!

"I did what I did to try to keep you safe." Kobai finished, his silver eyes hard as he stared out from behind his mask. "I will never regret any action taken in that spirit."

They faced off against each other for moments more, Mamoru seeing the reason in Kobai's words, unwilling to fully accept the apology hidden there. Yet he broke the stare first. He nodded once, walking forward again, "Let's go." They fell into step as they jumped away, nearing Mamoru's apartment. Kobai was right – from his perspective, everything he had done was an attempt to shield and protect Mamoru, but he didn't need that anymore. He was fully capable of making decisions for himself, and as they landed on his rooftop he told him as much. "I deserve a hand in my own fate. Keep me informed from now on, got it?"

Kobai nodded and they powered down, then went through the open stairwell and down the few flights to Mamoru's apartment. Once there, Mamoru found Jewel Tiara's belt and laid it out on the table. Kobai held the gem above the belt to one side of the gems already present and a spot opened for it, as though it knew what was going on and was ready to accept the gem. Holding it for a moment longer than what Mamoru thought was necessary, Kobai finally pressed the gem into the waiting space and stood back. Now that all four gems were together, it was easy to see that the Venus crystal was different from the others – its energies more violent, its inner shine more saturated.

"What do you think that means?" Mamoru asked, motioning for Kobai's hand as he watched the lights dance within the pyramidal crystals.

Kobai offered up his burned and blistered appendage and shrugged. Beryl, who had stayed absolutely silent throughout their trip, seemed to have no answer as well. "More powerful, perhaps?" she offered.

"But if they are the power gems of the planets, shouldn't Jupiter's be strongest based on size?" Mamoru asked, already nearly finished with healing Kobai's hand.

Beryl shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure."

At that moment, both Mamoru and Kobai's watches went off in an alarm. They both twitched the hands to noon and Hanada's face appeared. "We found it."


	15. A Message from the Moon? Surprises at the Hospital!

Mamoru and Moegi pressed through the lobby of the hospital, their journey difficult as the throngs of people pressed forward, yelling to be heard over the cacophony of voices that bombarded the staff. It was as close to mass hysteria as Mamoru cared ever be. Hundreds of people, pressed in and forward, wearing business suits and housecoats alike, some crying, others angry; a news team had forced themselves inside, the journalist closing her ears to hear herself over the noise, practically screaming into the microphone. The attack had been big news; that some victims woke up a small victory compared to the hundreds that lay in comatose states. The pair of them were the forward for this mission – untransformed, they were supposed to blend in as they found and discretely healed people. Hanada, Midori, and Kobai were stationed at exits, just in case, and Helios and Beryl kept watch from farther away, keeping out of site. Mamoru and Hanada aimed for the trauma unit, but as soon as they lied their way into the hall, they found they didn't have to travel that far to find the energy-drained victims of Sailor Venus's attacks.

"There must have been too many," Moegi commented, not bothering to quiet his voice with the chaos around them. Mamoru nodded, already approaching a sleeping young man on a gurney. Casually as possible, he took hold of the man's wrist and fed him energy; just a little. Just enough to kick-start normal body function. When his skin felt warm again and his breathing deepened to true sleep, he moved on, Moegi keeping watch for too-curious onlookers, be they staff or visitors. By the tenth victim, Mamoru went from worried to anxious; they were fading too fast, each person weaker than the last. There had to be another way.

"Chiba," Moegi hissed urgently, and the pair of them moved on, quickly traversing the hallway to turn into an open room.

"You two! No visitors! Can't you see this is an emergency?!" an angry nurse yelled after them, his voice rising to follow. "Get out of here!"

The trauma room they entered was in a frenzy; medical professionals swarmed bodies, equipment beeping and flashing as voices gave commands, some calm and collected, others frenzied. Heart monitors were sounding alarms everywhere, doctors were readying AED's and syringes – but that wasn't what they needed! Mamoru rushed forward, both hands outstretched over a victim as Golden energy poured out of him – the doctors were causing more harm than good! They were trying their best but they were only making it worse! One person, another – but then patients were flat-lining. He'd be too late!

"Chiba!" Moegi called again, his voice a barely audible warning, but he couldn't stop now – they needed him. But he'd be too late! Unless… unless… Mamoru reached into his pocket, his fingers catching the Golden Crystal deftly. He had been reaching into it for power, drawing energy out of it to use, but what if it worked backwards? Where did the crystal get its energy from? The Earth, right? And that power was pulled through the crystal and into him for him to use; could he cut out the middle man? Could he force it from the crystal originally, without it having to pass through him? Holding it tightly in one fist, Mamoru concentrated; forcing all of his power, his healing energy, through his hand back into the crystal and out over the crowd. It hurt – much in the same way it hurt when he had healed Midori a week ago; that was how he knew it was working.

" _Endymion," she called playfully…_

No. He pushed it aside, concentrating on the crystal, listening for the machines to stop their shrill alarms. His legs were going numb when the alarms gradually silenced, going from a single call to the multiple blips and beeps of a steady heartbeat. Doctors were shouting orders and murmuring and Moegi was at his elbow, "Time to go." He cut off the stream and his arm fell to his side, deadened as well. He was able to force the crystal back into his pocket moments before the prickling sensations began. Gingerly he stepped forward, until someone called out to them. Without waiting to see what they wanted, the pair of them took off, moving through out the door and down the hall as quickly as they could without blatantly running.

" _They've stabilized,_ " Helios commented telepathically, " _They should have a full recovery_.  _All of them_."

Moegi slapped Mamoru on the back, the blond smiling to himself as they turned another corner, seeing an Exit sign at the end of the hall. This, too, was lined in victims, one of which… Mamoru froze. Lying in a gurney, her eyes closed and her chest rising and falling peacefully, was Tsukino Usagi. Her hair was askew, one of her buns completely unraveled, the other loose and filled with gravel, but he'd know her anywhere. For a moment he couldn't breathe, all of his fear for her gripping his heart and finally releasing as joy rushed up through him. She was safe.

Usako.

"Hey! You two!" the nurse from before yelled, "I'm going to need to see some I.D.!"

Moegi doubled back for him and pulled him forward, running now, much to his legs' and heart's remorse, towards the door. He wanted to stop him, to go back to Usako, to heal her further, wake her up, and make sure she was okay. He wanted to apologize, he wanted to hold her and promise that nothing that terrible would ever happen to her again. He never wanted to leave her side. But he knew better, and so he ran. He loved her, but going back now would only cause trouble for them both. She was safe, and that had to be enough for now. He'd get home and call the Tsukinos and tell them what he had seen – they'd pick her up and take her home, and he would see her tomorrow. They burst through the door with the nurse pounding down the hallway after them, and they jumped over the concrete wall that shielded the dumpsters from public view. The landing aggravated his nerves so much as to make him stumble, but he picked himself up and kept running, Kobai with them now. As they left the hospital behind, Mamoru glanced back, the promise of tomorrow almost too good to be true.

:

"Are you sure?"

"It was her," Mamoru replied, a smile in his voice as he reached for the telephone receiver.

"They just let her go?" Hanada puzzled, leaning against the counter with a puzzled expression.

Midori, smiling too, replied, "Hey, they just lost their last senshi. They're out on the ropes – maybe they're hoping to get in our good graces! Are you sure we can't go back and get her tonight?"

"We'd never be able to check her out properly," Mamoru explained again, "And if we did go back and get her and take her home, her parents would know we did so illegally and I'd prefer they didn't think I was a delinquent. Besides," he continued, starting to dial their number, "they're her family. They get this." He meant the reunion. They should get to pick her up from the hospital, should be the first people she sees; as much as he wanted it to be him, this was the right thing.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mamoru?" Kobai asked seriously. His tone made Mamoru pause, looking to him as a sign to continue. He  _knew_  it was Usako, and if he learned nothing from their conversation earlier, he knew that Kobai wouldn't question his knowledge of that. So he was curious as to his caution; what was he getting at? Kobai, standing in Mamoru's small kitchen, caught his eye and help it with gravity as he spoke, "What if something is wrong with her? She's been in the Moon Kingdom's keep for a week now; do you really want her parents to see her first if something is indeed wrong? The Moon Kingdom's magic is unknown to us; they could have done a number of things to her mind that might be unsettling to the Tsukinos. Are you sure you want to give her back to them, only to take her away again should something prove wrong?"

He hesitated. He hated this. She was home, she should be safe again; he didn't want to even consider that she wasn't. He shouldn't  _have_  to. It was wrong. All of this was wrong – she was at the hospital, she was alive after a week in Hell, she didn't deserve to have anything else thrown at her! She deserved love. And her family deserved whatever time they could get with her. Even if… he swallowed, having to consider the alternative. "They would have to keep her for surveillance for a few days, right? Because she's a missing person?"

"It depends," Hanada replied, his knowledge gained through journalism still surprising. "They might keep her for a day for questioning, but otherwise they like to get minors back to their parents as soon as possible."

"And if…"

Hanada finished for him, "If something's wrong mentally, they'll keep her for counseling."

"I still think you should call them," Moegi offered. "Anything is better than not knowing."

Thinking of Shingo, and of Usagi alone in the hospital, Mamoru finished dialing. Anything was better than not knowing.

:

They had been so grateful and relieved that Mamoru was sure he had done what was right. However, as they all relaxed around his kitchen table, it became clear that Helios wasn't entirely at ease with their situation. Standing on the countertop, he stomped the surface uneasily, tossing his head every now and again. Beryl had joined him and seemed to be speaking quietly to him, but Mamoru didn't like the idea of being kept out of the loop yet again and so broached the subject, interrupting a story Midori was telling about his exploits during the week. "Helios, what's wrong?"

Everyone stopped talking, glancing from him to Helios, and Midori came back down to four chair legs. "You don't think its over yet, do you?" Hanada asked straightforwardly, voicing the uneasy feeling that gnawed at Mamoru's stomach.

" _It doesn't make sense_ ," Helios agreed, " _If they were giving up, why didn't they return the energy Venus stole?_ "

"Maybe they can't?" Midori offered, "I mean, they're  _evil_ , maybe they don't know how to undo stealing energy?"

"Hmm," Hanada hummed unsatisfactorily as both he and Kobai looked away thoughtfully. "Maybe they're thinking of another way to get the energy?" Hanada mused, his brows furrowed, "The senshi originally sent out monsters, right? Do you think this Diana would send out those monsters to gather energy again?"

"It's an idea," Kobai acknowledged.

"Guys, take a victory for a victory!" Midori enthused, putting his hands on a table. "You're seeing ghosts where there aren't any! C'mon, you agree with me, right, Yuu?"

Moegi frowned, "I want to, but something feels wrong."

Midori rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, catching Mamoru's eyes and raising a brow skeptically. Mamoru shrugged in return, his mind working the problem over; even while he wished he could be as confident as Midori in the finality of the night's battle, he found it unbelievable that Diana would give up. She had lost her soldiers, true, but he knew from experience that she didn't keep herself out of battle. "We should continue to be careful," he said, and Midori sighed and stood to grab something out of the fridge. As soon as he moved, the moonlight streaming through the window by his desk fell across the table and Jewel Tiara's belt buckles started to glow. He watched it carefully, tilting his head slightly, wondering if he had seen the Moon's reflection on the pearl rather than an inner light, but no matter which direction he moved, the glow was constant. He seemed to be the only person to notice – Midori was pouring himself a drink and commenting on how paranoid they all seemed, the others were thinking on their problem, and while one word could draw their attention, instead he quietly reached forward, each hand taking one side of the belt to reconnect it.

"Mamoru!" Kobai called out warningly, but it was too late. He had connected the pearl-studded halves together. But… nothing happened. The pearls continued to glow softly, the soul gems of the senshi emitting their own light, Venus's still shining violently on one side, but otherwise the belt behaved normally. Midori was quick to quirk a brow at Kobai as he continued to pour himself some milk.

They sat quietly for a moment, Mamoru watching the spinning lights inside the gems, until Hanada leaned forward, a suspect look in his gaze. "Could Diana—"

" _Usagi-chan!_ "

Mamoru had only a moment to react to the faint and mysterious voice before he found himself on the floor, West King standing between him and the table. What in the world – "Who are you?" Kobai – West King demanded. Mamoru rolled out of his upturned chair and stood to see whom Kobai addressed, and immediately stepped forward when he did, putting one hand on West's shoulder as a means of telling him to stand down, his eyes focused on the spectral image hovering above Usagi's belt.

"Isn't that one of the Moon Kingdom's messengers?" Hanada asked with alarm, transforming instantly into North King; Moegi and Midori followed suit.

"Hold on!" Mamoru commanded, his eyes locked on the ghostly cat standing on thin air above the pearl belt. He knew it, or recognized it in any case. Without delving too deeply into the memories of his past, he knew the animal was Princess Serenity's cat – one of them, anyway; he had more experience with the white one, but had caught glimpses of this one, the black one, on occasion. Enough to know that the black cat and Serenity had been close. What was its name?

" _Prince Endymion_ ," the cat addressed, bowing its- _her_ \- head slightly, " _I was not expecting to meet you._ "

"And just who were you expecting to meet? What do you want? Where are you communicating from?" Beryl demanded, launching herself off of the counter to buzz angrily before the cat, blocking Mamoru's full view of her. "How are you still alive?"

"Beryl!" he rebuked, but other than the fur on its back fluffing slightly, the cat did not seem too upset. It licked a paw, its gaze moving around the table before it decided to answer, completely ignoring the small, angry fairy floating right in front of it.

" _I was expecting to meet Usagi-chan, a girl to whom we gave power,"_  the cat explained calmly, its eyes back on Mamoru's, " _to thank her for completing her mission and reclaiming the Sailor Crystals of the Guardian Senshi."_

"Sailor Crystals – does it mean soul gems?" Midori asked over the cat's head, looking to Helios.

"So Usagi-chan was working for the Moon Kingdom the entire time?" Moegi repeated with indignation. Mamoru refused to fully consider the idea, waiting for the cat to respond.

"It appears so," Hanada replied instead, staring down the cat as he continued in a harsh tone, "but, too bad for you, her mission hasn't been completed. These "Sailor Crystals" have not been reclaimed for the Moon Kingdom – they remain in the hands of the New Golden Kingdom, and we will not return them to you!"

"That must be what Diana is after now!" Beryl exclaimed, "She wants the Power Gems!" she redoubled her effort against the cat, "Where are you communicating from?! Is Diana so cowardly that she will not face us herself?!"

The cat's eyes turned hard and jumped to its feet, its fur standing on end as it hissed at Beryl and declared, her voice growling, " _ **We are not with Diana!**_ " Her tail flicking back and forth with aggravation, the bright eyes turned to all of them as she growled again, " _Do not forfeit the Sailor Crystals!_ " And she was gone.

"Not with Diana?" Hanada repeated thoughtfully, "but then…"

"But she had a crescent moon on her forehead," Midori reasoned with some confusion, "Isn't that the royal symbol of the Moon? How could she be from the Moon but not with Diana?"

What was her name? What was… "Luna!" Mamoru called, at last remembering the pet without unlocking the pain the memory of her master summoned. He put his hand forward to offer Beryl a perch; once she had taken his thumb he carefully moved her aside, positioning himself before the belt. He leaned down and called, "Luna, please come back."

She gradually faded back in, looking threatened as she glanced around at his friends. " _Where is Usagi-chan?_ " she asked lowly.

"She's alive," Mamoru replied, glad to have a solid answer. And now that the cat had returned, he hoped he'd get some solid answers for Usagi, as well. "Why did you choose her to collect the crystals?"

The cat looked away, " _She was the best candidate_."

"What do you mean?" he asked, prying to get a better answer, but Luna lapsed into silence, refusing to give him a direct answer. "Why Usagi?"

When it became completely apparent that Luna did not intend to answer his question, Hanada stepped in respectfully. Raising his hands placatingly, he asked, "I know you are not aligned with Diana, but where are you right now, Luna? Are you in Elysion? Can you help us?"

" _I cannot, I'm afraid._ " She replied, her eyes finding Helios. " _We are not in Elysion._ " Looking away from him, she sat down and bowed her head. " _But we wish you luck in your endeavor._ " She started to fade away, and in the spur of the moment he could not think up another question to ask her. If she wouldn't share information about Usagi's mission and she could not give them information about Diana…

"Where are you, and how have you survived?" Beryl asked again, most of the malice out of her tone.

The cat's ghostly outline strengthened, her tail curling as she found Beryl in the palm of his hand. " _The Moon, and we did not survive. Before our death we saved our intelligences in the Moon's main computer, just in case the past were to repeat itself, as it now does. We are holograms, and nothing more._ "

"We?" Mamoru breathed, his vision growing dark, everything fading but the black cat hovering above Jewel Tiara's belt, and the golden insignia on her brow. The same insignia… we… "Serenity?" he asked, his heart not even daring to beat. He couldn't tell if he wanted it to be true, or if he feared it; he wanted to see her, to talk to her, to  _be_  with her, but… he'd be talking to a memory. No matter how much he wanted her, she'd be just a programmed approximation of herself, and knowing that was almost more painful than understanding that – that she was –

" _No_ ," Luna replied sharply, the denial giving him a reminder to breathe again. There was pain in her voice as she continued, glaring at him, " _No, she left to help_ _ **you**_ ,  _Prince, despite our efforts to keep her safe, and now she's -_ " she choked up, her shoulders shaking once, but she kept her eyes on him. " _For the sake of the innocents, we wish you luck in your endeavor, Prince._ "

When she disappeared this time, he didn't try to call her back.

"It wasn't your fault," Kobai stated, his transformation fading away. Deftly he unhooked the belt buckle, laying the wide strip of stiffened fabric flat on the table. "The Princess came knowing what she would face."

He nodded, but knew it was true, his mind clutching the cat's accusation closely; he knew it was his fault. If he had been paying more attention, if he had reacted faster, if he hadn't taken on Diana alone, if he had tried harder to broker a peace between their kingdoms – Serenity might have… He nodded again, not wanting to talk about it or listen to their thoughts about it. They hadn't been there, they didn't know what happened. He single-handedly rightened his chair and took a seat, staring blankly at the belt, and offered another subject for them to talk about. "If she's a hologram projecting from the Moon, it could explain the belt and its abilities. The adornments could be computer hardware."

" _Perhaps the signal from the moonlight activated the cells and started the transmission based on the completion of the belt…_ " Helios mused, gliding to the table and examining the belt up close. He had done it before on a number of occasions; Mamoru had walked in on him examining the belt several times throughout the last week; it was interesting to hear the Unisus's thoughts, but they didn't completely hold his attention. " _Lunar technologies would explain how the belt can safely contain the senshi's soul gems_."

"She called them 'Sailor Crystals'," Hanada mused, taking his seat beside Mamoru, "Is the phrase synonymous with Power or Soul Gems, or is there a different connotation involved?"

Beryl released her hold on his thumb, her little face turned towards him as she offered her opinion, "Synonymous, I believe; they fit the description of what I've read in our texts."

"My question is about the longevity of the transmission," Moegi commented, crossing his arms as he took his seat, "It's been thousands of years, right? How could technology last that long?"

"The Moon is dead," Hanada replied, resting his elbow on the back of his chair, "There wouldn't be much of anything to erode the computer systems. And if it were solar powered I don't see a reason why it couldn't continue."

"But it is  _dead_ ," Kobai repeated, making a point of the last word, "so it wouldn't have any protection from magnetic Solar storms; any technological devices on the Moon should be long gone by now, unless there are protections there that outlived the Lunar royalty. From my understanding of magic," Kobai stopped, looking to Beryl as if to request her confirmation, "once the caster dies the enchantment dies with him, or  _her_  in this case."

Beryl shrugged noncommittally, "That's how it's supposed to work…" she trailed off, looking away from Mamoru as though a little embarrassed. She jumped from his palm and landed by Helios. "But that's magic as  _we_  know it."

" _Regrettably, the Moon has usually been much more technologically advanced than we,_ " Helios commented, pawing at the table, " _In part due to their longevity. They might have found a way to bypass many things… but the mysteries of the Moon Kingdom are not of our current concern. It is apparent from her warnings that the Lunar messenger believes Diana to still be a threat to Earth and her people. We need to be careful and keep up our guard._ "

"Do you think she'll come after the soul gems?" Hanada asked, though it was apparent the thought was what he believed.

"It would be the quickest way to her goals," Beryl agreed, adding, "Those gems or the Golden Crystal."

"Then we shouldn't keep them in the same spot," Moegi declared, standing and carefully taking the belt.

"The belt belongs to Usagi," Mamoru stated. It was her belt, her responsibility, her mystery; maybe Luna would tell her what she would not share with them, and give Usagi a clue as to why she was chosen and her role in this story. Was it over, now that the gems were collected? Could she return to a normal life? What was she to do with the gems?

"Would you return it to her and risk her safety?" Kobai invited, staring forward with one hand resting on the table. "Entice Diana into attacking her family, or wherever else she might store the gems?"

"It's part of her transformation," Mamoru argued, "It should disappear to wherever our masks and uniforms go. It would be safe there, and Diana shouldn't be able to get her hands on it."

"But if it were part of her Jewel Tiara outfit, wouldn't it have already disappeared?" Hanada countered.

"It's  _Lunar technology_ ," Midori defended, "So who knows if it operates under the same rules? It might disappear when she gets it again. She might even still be technically transformed, we don't know!" He nodded towards Mamoru, his elbows casually planted on the counter behind him. "I think Mamoru's right; it's Usagi's and it should be returned to her."

While he didn't know if it was what Midori really believed or if the brunet was just being loyal in an attempt to make up for before, Mamoru appreciated being backed. They both looked to Moegi, who held on to the belt as he asked Helios, "Would it be a bad move to leave it here?"

Helios paused, considering, his red-eyes staring at Mamoru. Mamoru stared back, unwilling to back off on this. "If it makes you feel better," he bartered, "I won't give it back to her until we decide it's the best thing to do."

The unisus nodded, though not happily. " _Diana doesn't know where this apartment is. I'll watch over it and keep my senses open to any rifts between Elysion and Earth. It can stay here for a time._ "

The meeting ended not long after, and Mamoru soon went to bed. With so many developments that night – sorting things out with Midori, fighting Venus, healing hospital victims, finding Usako, and gaining information from Luna – it took him no time to fall asleep, a smile on his lips at the thought of seeing Usagi again the next day. He'd find her, whether she were at home or in the hospital, and make sure she was okay. Maybe he'd bring her a movie… and ice cream...


	16. Usagi in a coma? Mamoru vs Endymion!

The next morning Mamoru sat on his couch, eating cereal with Helios as they avidly watched the news. He typically enjoyed breakfast at his kitchen table, but the content of the bulletins was too pertinent to only listen to; he had to watch. And while he knew that the channels would be talking about the events of the previous night all day, he was too impatient to wait any longer than necessary. He wanted to know about the patients in the hospital. Were they being released, relocated, or kept for further surveillance? Though his ears were hanging on the reporter's and news anchors words about the hospital, the general program was very interesting.

Every fifteen minutes or so they'd have a "News Update" to catch up those who had slept in on Saturday morning; by noon, he figured everyone in Tokyo, and maybe even more of Japan, would know of the strange events of the night. Or, rather, how eye-witnesses remembered the events. The update usually sounded like a variation of: " _For those of you just tuning in, this is Channel _ News with an important news break. Last night the streets of Tokyo were set upon by a mysterious malevolent force that left our city pockmarked and our citizens unconscious. While authorities have not released any information regarding the cause of the attack or its sudden end, they advise those with missing family members contact this emergency number:_ " Once the hotline number faded from the screen, they typically returned to the streets, where their reporters were either reporting live with footage of the small craters Venus's attack left in the pavement and on the buildings, interviewing eye-witnesses about what they had seen, or sharing updates from the crisis center (which housed the volunteers that ran the hotline and could supposedly connect loved ones with which hospital their missing family member could be found), or they would show last night's coverage of the overcrowded and chaotic hospital waiting rooms (Mamoru thought he spotted the back of Moegi's head in one of the shots), or interviews with politicians, conspiracy-theorists, college professors, paranormal specialists, or any other professional they thought might be useful in explaining the strange events of the previous nights.

Some of the eye-witness accounts were actually pretty good – a flying girl in an orange sailor uniform shot lasers out of her fingers at random people while laughing, or lasers hit people and they fell to the ground; one even said that he saw four figures jump from the street to the roof – but then other accounts were so far off Mamoru figured the true events would be lost in all of the incredible drivel other witnesses described. A giant alien was slinking through the streets, grabbing people with its tentacles and flinging them into other streets, for example. Or men in black suits wielding ray guns were shooting down nonbelievers. Some of the stories made Mamoru smile at their creativity, as Helios groaned about the dependability of mobs during a crisis to provide inaccurate information.

About once an hour, or sooner if something useful came up, Hanada would update them on internet forum chatter via communicator. Midori, a little upset that the arcade and fruit parlor were closed for the day, had originally scoffed at the necessity for such updates, but quieted soon enough when Hanada reminded him that it was through his forums that he had uncovered information about "Evening Star", Cardinal King, and had found that information on Midori's mother; after that, any time Hanada referred to Midori he would call him by his first name, "Nero", in an attempt to irritate the brunet, but he just shrugged it off. Thus far, only a handful of 'true believers' on his forums had connected the attack to them, throwing out (admittedly correct) theories that tied this incident to the incident with the unexplained black out last week and the video-rental riots weeks before. Some jumped on board with that eye witness's account of four figures jumping to the rooftop, though they assumed that it was really just Evening Star and the witness had been mistaken about there being four of them. Other than that, the theories were just as wild online as those on the television.

Until someone's camcorder video suddenly went public at 10:00.

It was blurry, dark, and unfocused, but the shaky image showed bright yellow lines streaking down from the sky and hitting people, making them fall. The voice of the man who shot the video just kept repeating ,"Oh god, oh  _god!_ " as he turned the camera up and caught a glimpse of Venus's outline before she teleported away. After that it showed people on the ground, groaning or unconscious, and the news suddenly had enough information to fill the entire weekend with speculation as to the night's true events.

At exactly noon, two hours after the start of the frenzied theories started flying and experts started debating, Mamoru gave up on the news for providing information about the victims. Putting his mug on the coffee table, he stood, turning to Helios as he excused himself. "I'm going to check on Usagi."

" _You should take someone with you as backup_ ," Helios recommended, jumping up and coasting to follow him into the kitchen as he slid out of his slippers and into his shoes. As Mamoru paused to shoot him a critical gaze – Helios knew he'd been waiting all morning for news about her – the white Pegasus cocked and shook his head, " _It wouldn't take too long for someone to meet you. You heard the implications of the Lunar Messenger – we're not out of the woods just yet._ " Mamoru turned back to the door, making sure his wallet and keys were on him, and reached for the doorknob. Helios flew ahead of him, hovering with an annoyed look, " _Fine. I'll go with you. I'll be the stuffed toy again. But put a bow on me and we're through._ " He landed on Mamoru's shoulder, draping across it as he had across Usagi's at the masquerade months ago. Trying to hide a smile, Mamoru left his apartment, locking the door behind him, and descended the stairs.

Turning in the stairwell on the second floor, he nearly ran into someone on their way up. "Excuse—" they both said as one, and then Midori laughed and slugged Mamoru on the shoulder opposite Helios. "Hey! I was just coming up to hang out! They still won't open the arcade and I'm bored stupid over here. My cousin is having her wedding reception at my place and I don't want to touch that craziness with a ten foot pole."

Mamoru, smiling, shook his head, "Shouldn't you be there? I thought you were on good terms with your cousin?" he asked, remembering that she was the reason Midori had been at the bridal store the day he first transformed.

He shrugged, "I am – we are, but that doesn't say anything about the rest of that side of my family. And the manse is just a mess right now with caterers and florists and that  _wedding planner_ ," he grimaced and shuddered theatrically. "So, you heading out?" he asked, turning around on the stairs.

"Yeah," Mamoru answered easily, internally marveling at how easy it was to slide back into how it had been between them over a week ago, before they had fought. There were no hard feelings, just that little reminder that Midori had kept secrets from him floating around the back of his mind. "I was going to visit Usa _ko_ —" he caught himself and changed the nickname immediately, "- _gi_ -chan –" he knew that cover'd never work; he typically referred to her as 'Tsukino' or 'Odango,' but he continued despite Midori's sly grin, "in the hospital."

"Can I come, too," Midori asked in smooth, teasing voice, "Or would I be interrupting something?"

Mamoru stepped around him, heading farther down the stairs. "You can come so long as you keep your mouth shut."

…

When they arrived at the hospital they found it much less crowded than the night before. Notices were posted on the wall about visitation hours, the number for the volunteer emergency hotline with instructions to call there to find loved ones before inquiring at the front desk, and a general sign that proclaimed that there had been no loss of life following the events of the night before, a sign probably intended to calm worried families so that they could follow the hotline instructions without that terrible worry over their heads. He and Midori were two of twenty in the waiting room; when Mamoru approached the desk and asked to visit Tsukino Usagi, the nurse took their names and they were told to wait a moment. They took seats in a small row of chairs and Midori picked up a magazine and started flipping through it casually.

He had only gotten past page ten when the door opened and a nurse called their names. His stomach started doing flips as they followed the older woman into an elevator and ascended to the fourth floor. As they walked down the corridor his butterflies were practically out of control; he started worrying his hands in an attempt to calm himself, or distract his nerves from the fluttering sensation, but when the woman stopped by a door and knocked softly, it was all he could do to keep himself breathing properly. Midori snickered and Mamoru snapped out of it, sending his amused friend a very unamused glance as the door opened to reveal a tall woman with very long and curly purple hair, who looked at him curiously.

"Mrs. Tsukino," Mamoru assumed, bowing slightly. "I'm—"

"You must be Chiba Mamoru!" the woman replied, her smiling voice filled with tired relief mixed with the faintest twinge of worry. She reached for him, gently taking his hand in hers. Her smile was soft and genuine. "Thank you," she said, her gratitude the most sincere he had ever heard. "The doctors say Usagi-chan is fine; she hasn't woken up yet but the case worker for last night says that's normal for what happened," she chuckled, her laughter an attempt to return to normality as she invited him into the small hospital room. While the walls were pale and barren, the large stuffed bunny made the instruments poised about the bed look a little less sinister. Tucked into the blankets, her undone blonde hair flat on the pillow, was Usagi, sleeping soundly. She really was okay. His gut began to unclench as he approached hesitantly, his eyes flicking to her father, standing protectively by the head of her bed.

"Hey, Mamoru-kun," Shingo greeted from one of the chairs, playing away at a hand-held video game, "I wondered when you'd show up."

"Shingo," he replied in a way of quick greeting, stopping just in front of her bed, where Midori joined him.

"Chiba Mamoru," her father addressed, and he subconsciously stood straighter. The man seemed flustered as he said, "Thank you for finding our daughter."

"Mr. Tsukino – " he started, not exactly sure what to say.

"This in no way means that I give you my blessing!" the man finished with an angry flare, "Usagi is not old enough to be dating  _any_ one,  _and_  she's grounded for three years!"

"Kenji!" her mother sharply addressed, and the man shut his mouth and crossed his arms, glaring at Mamoru from across the bed. If this wasn't the  _single_  most embarrassing moment of his life, it was definitely up there. He fought hard against the blush creeping across his cheeks, but he felt the attempt was only making him redder, a hunch validated by Midori's smirk beside him. How was he supposed to respond to that? Had they even technically  _been_  dating, before? Just thinking about it – thinking about  _her_  – kept the glow in his cheeks and resummoned the butterflies in his stomach, even as a rock seemed to solidify in his gut. Hanging out at the Crown, teasing her until she pouted, walking her home at night… that kiss at the masquerade… the other, on Tokyo Tower. The memories made his pulse quicken in nervous pleasure, but his heart was torn. He felt guilty, like there was some force tearing at him, pulling him in different directions. He really  _liked_  Usagi, maybe even… but he had  _loved_  Serenity… was being with Usagi now a betrayal to her? And was he really being fair to Usagi in any of this?

He didn't want to think about it. Every part of him rebelled against trying to sort out his heart, examining who he was as Endymion, specifically because it was so wrapped up in Serenity and it hurt too much to think about her. But didn't he owe it to Usagi to figure it out? She deserved someone who knew who he was and could give her all of himself; ever since she figured out he was Cardinal King he thought he'd be able to do that with her, but now… now everything was messed up. Now he was Prince Endymion, and now there was always Serenity. Even looking at Usagi now had his vision swimming as it tried to overlay memories of the Moon Princess onto her, envisioning her hair silver instead of gold; had he always been doing that? Had he only been attracted to Usagi because he had been subconsciously connecting her to Serenity?

 _God_  he was messed up.

"So her vitals and everything have been normal?" Midori asked, sounding far away.

He wasn't Endymion anymore. That was over – that was then, thousands of years ago. This was now. He was Chiba Mamoru, a second year student at Azabu High School. He played soccer and was a less-than-active member of the physics club. He had great friends that he would fight and die for, and a talking Pegasus was his roommate. At night he transformed into Cardinal King to save the world from the Moon Kingdom, and soon they would defeat Diana once and for all, earning their peace. That he was Prince Endymion was not a factor – all it did was give him a tool to use to bring about the next Golden Age. He was Mamoru Chiba. And he liked Usagi Tsukino, and he  _could_  like her because this was  _his life_. He shouldn't feel guilty about it. He liked her, he liked being around her, he wanted to make her happy, she made him want to be a better person. He liked Usagi.

This was his life.

He forced it back, pushed it down, repeating his thoughts until he had the insecure notions buried deep, no longer bubbling at the surface when he looked at her. He forced himself to see only Usagi, repeating until he was almost confident in it.  _I am not Endymion, I am Chiba Mamoru._  An unsteady peace settled within him, and shakily he found himself following Midori as the brunet backed away from the hospital bed. Midori chuckled and plucked Helios off of Mamoru's shoulder in response to some remark made by Shingo; it took him a moment to activate his comprehension.

"Well, she named it  _Luna_  and Mamoru thought she'd like it to keep her company; would you mind if we left it?"

"Oh! How nice of you!" Usagi's mother exclaimed, accepting the offered "toy", "I'm sure she'll love waking up to it! I'll tell her you two came by!" She waved, and Midori waved back. Mamoru waved as well – but since when were they leaving? He followed Midori out, wondering what had happened that made them have to leave, but they were barely down the hallway when Midori turned to him.

"You okay, man?" he asked sincerely.

"Yeah, why?" Mamoru replied, the reply made more out of habit than after actual consideration. But, really, now he did feel a little bit better. Finally making the decision to really bury Endymion made him feel lighter, a little more at home in his own skin.

"You blanked out back there."

Mamoru winced – way to look like a spaz.

"I covered for you," Midori continued, "You can thank me later. Anyway, Helios is going to stay with her and see what he can find out about her condition; he said he'd contact us when she wakes up. But I think it's odd that she's still unconscious, you know? I mean you healed me and I woke up from  _near death_ just minutes later, practically fully functioning. I kinda want to look into other cases from last night."

"You think it might be more of an aftereffect of her time with Diana than the fight against Venus?" Mamoru clarified, not too pleased with the likeliness of the idea, Kobai's words last night setting a shiver in his spine, and he was glad that Helios had apparently decided to stay and check things out for him.

"We'll see what we can find out. Or what Hanada can find out – he's got 'sources', right?"

…

Turned out Hanada's sources revealed that most of the knock-outs from Friday night woke up sometime early Saturday morning, and while some were still weak most were conscious and able to talk. They were kept for surveillance and debriefing, each person describing in their own words what had happened, but on the whole their eye-witness reports were about as valid as those first reported on television on Saturday morning. By Saturday night patients were being released, and Sunday afternoon had all but the oldest victims gone from the hospital.

But not Usagi.

Someone was always by her side, whether it was her mother, father, brother, Mamoru, or her friend, Naru, but while her companions changed shifts, her condition stayed constant: sleeping, dreaming, but never waking. Each day her room filled with flowers, cards, balloons, and stuffed animals to keep her company and remind her that she was missed. After a time, Mamoru built up the courage to hold her hand while someone was in the room with him, ignoring their curious looks. He concentrated on sending her energy, silently calling for her to come back, but with the end of every failed night his spirit fell a little more, the smallest of thoughts giving life to the fear no one wanted to voice:  _what if it were permanent?_

Thursday afternoon found Mamoru alone with Usagi; Ikuko had excused herself earlier in the afternoon, soon after his arrival, to go home and get some rest. As soon as she left he started feeding Usagi more energy, willing the power to find something,  _anything_  broken inside of her and fix it. Helios kept him company – the unisus had remained by her side diligently, as alert for any changes in her as he was for disturbances made by Diana or her monsters. So far, nothing on either front. Mamoru was exhausted, discouraged, and anxious; he hadn't had a full night's sleep since Saturday, hadn't had an appetite since Sunday, and hadn't been able to concentrate on anything other than Usagi's condition or Diana's plans since Tuesday. Something needed to happen, good or bad, sometime soon, or else he might really lose it.

And despite the resolution he had made the other day in this very room, he continued to have doubts about himself and whether he could actually exist as only Mamoru, and not Endymion. Thinking about it gave him headaches – this was Endymion's war, but he, Mamoru, was fighting it. Endymion's crystal, but his crystal, too. They were different, separated by millennia, but they were also the same, right? Just with different life goals and… loves. But who was Endymion without Serenity? How could accept that part of him into his life and still be true to his feelings for Usagi?

He would have to let Serenity go.

But he can't! His heart thundered in his chest, physically rebelling against even the idea of releasing her. She wasn't dead! … She  _was_  dead. And he couldn't save her. And it was his fault that she had been there. He might as well have killed Serenity himself, and now… now he was sitting in another girl's room, desperately hoping she'd wake up. ' _Is you love so fickle, prince?_ '

"You're very warm," a light, froggy voice commented. Disbelieving his ears, Mamoru looked up, wide-eyed, at the sleepy-looking Usagi who offered him a smile as she watched him from her propped pillows. She cleared her throat, "It's nice."

"Usako!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet, his eyes on hers as he prayed he wasn't hallucinating. She looked back at him with some amount of confusion, but with a nod from Helios he knew he wasn't hallucinating. "Are-?" He had so many question to ask her, but shouldn't he call in med staff to make sure she was alright? He glanced over at her vitals and everything looked normal enough, so he chanced continuing, "Are you alright? How do you feel?"

Her brows furrowed, as though really considering the question, "I'm tired, and a little… foggy, but I think I'm okay." She smiled then, friendly but different than before, and her eyes traveled the room, alighting on all the gifts surrounding her. She was happy, but still… different. "Are all of these for me?" she asked.

He smiled back at her – after everything she had been through, asking about the treats and gifts first was just like her. "All of them. Mostly from classmates."

"That's nice of them!" she grinned, and her eyes came back to him. She cocked her head to the side slightly as she considered him, her slight brows furrowing once again, as she slowly spoke. "You look familiar…"

His hope fell.

Amnesia? He stood straighter, more formally. He didn't want to confuse her so quickly with overfamiliarity. Amnesia was an outcome he should have considered; either as a mental safeguard against what had happened to her, or as a result of what Diana could have done, yet the thought hadn't crossed his mind. Amnesia.  _But you look familiar_. Was this the universe's way of solving his problem for him? Usagi didn't remember him, so she didn't remember her time as Jewel Tiara, or her time with the Moon Kingdom in Elysion. She could make a clean break from all of this, and from him. She could go back to being an ordinary girl. And he… she would be safe, and that would be enough for him.

"Just one of those faces, I suppose," he replied, his heart in his shoes.

"No," she replied almost immediately, still considering him closely, "I know you, and you're mean for not telling me who you are," she teased, her voice laced with false hurt.

The door opened to admit a medical team that rushed into the room, checking Usagi's vitals, her charts, starting an examination and questioning her; Mamoru was practically pushed out of the room to keep doctor-patient confidentiality. As he stood in the hallway, watching through the small window as Usagi looked away from him and up at one of the doctors, he knew two things: one, he shouldn't come back. She was safe, she was awake, she was free from this dangerous double life fighting monsters. Two, he would come back. Maybe not right away, maybe not until the Moon Kingdom threat had been absolved and his mind put into order, but he  _would_  come back to her, because she was Usagi, and he couldn't imagine life without her.

…

That night he slept well, despite his strange dreams. He went to school and could actually concentrate during classes. Usagi was awake; now he only had to worry about Diana and her future scheme. Luna was certain that Diana hadn't given up, and they would continue operating with that in mind. If only they could get some information, some idea about what was happening in Elysion. Did she have an army? Had she been able to awaken their Queen? When would they strike? Between classes, Mamoru made another trip to the school's library to check out more astronomy books, to see if there were some special astronomical dates approaching, specifically those with a lunar bend to them, but came up empty handed. He decided to head to the Tokyo Library after school to see what he could come up with, maybe visit the local observatory for their take on it if his research came up dry.

He was on his way to the library when his watch went off. Ducking into an alley, he answered it, finding Kobai on the other end. "Stay where you are! Moegi and Hanada are coming for you."

"What's wrong?!" Mamoru demanded, adrenaline rushing in as he automatically looked skyward for a threat like Venus. "Is it an attack?!"

"She's got the crystals."

" _What?!_ "

"She used Midori – he's pretty banged up, but we don't know where she went. Watch out! And whatever you do, don't go anywhere with her!"

"With whom?!"  _Diana? Why would he go anywhere with Diana?!_

A voice coughed in the background, and Kobai turned the watch's screen to a Midori, whose face was partially covered with a deep purple bruise, "Usagi," he coughed.


	17. Elysion

"What did he mean?!" Mamoru demanded as he, Moegi and Hanada flew over Tokyo streets, running and leaping over rooftops as they tore across town as quickly as they could. They were transformed, ready to fight in case an enemy should show; before them flew Beryl on point, Helios was behind. "Usagi's still in the hospital!"

"Not anymore, apparently!" Moegi replied in a growl, his attention more on their surroundings than on Mamoru's questions.

" _I found Midori barely conscious on your kitchen floor,_ " Helios informed, " _He was trying to use the communicator, but his fingers are swollen, possibly broken, and he couldn't work the dial. Jewel Tiara's belt was gone; he kept calling "Usagi". After alerting Kobai I rushed back to the hospital and her room was empty._ "

"You were supposed to be there with her!" Mamoru furiously accused, his chest tight with anger at his guardian and worry for both Usagi and Midori – what had happened?! He thought they had an understanding! Helios would watch over her until she was fully recovered!

" _There was a disturbance in energy levels earlier in the afternoon and I went to investigate. She was sleeping soundly when I left and her mother was there so I didn't see a problem!_ " Helios defended.

"What was the disturbance?" Hanada asked, cutting off Mamoru's heated reply. How could Helios just leave like that, without telling anyone?! Usagi was awake, but they didn't know about her true status – what if her memories started coming back? What if only the initial Jewel Tiara ones, her need to find the crystals and keep them safe, returned? She might not even remember that they were allies and have attacked Midori thinking him a threat – all things that could have been prevented if Helios had stayed at the hospital, or at least told him that he was leaving! Now she could be anywhere, alone and uncertain – perhaps there was a way for Luna to contact her to tell her what was going on, but with no moon in the sky that was a slim chance!

They arrived at his place, powered down, and rushed down the few flights of stairs until they reached his floor. He threw open the door and could barely recognize the place. The kitchen was in shambles: plates broken, cabinet doors askew, the table thrown into the living room, a chair lay in pieces on the floor. Without pausing, he scanned the area and hurried over to the couch where Kobai had put Midori, immediately calling up the energy to heal him. He looked bad – his face was swollen and bruised, a few of his fingers broken, his lips were split, but even against the full array of wounds, his expression looked the most hurt. "What happened?" Mamoru asked as he concentrated first on the bruised ribs. "Is Usagi alright?'

"She found me," Midori began, his green eyes staring at Mamoru as if asking for forgiveness. "I was walking to Crown and she found me. She seemed like herself, she smiled and joked about hospital food, and then asked if I could give her back her belt. You had said that you wanted to give it back to her, that it was hers, and she seemed normal – she really did! And her eyes, there was something strange about them, but you had said that the belt was hers and she could have it so I took her back here. She said you wouldn't mind, that she was looking for you but hadn't seen you – she really seemed normal!

"But as soon as I used the spare key to open the door and we came inside, something changed. She threw me against the wall and grabbed the belt, saying something about the Greatness of the Moon Kingdom. That's what I heard, I'm not making it up. I tried to stop her but she was too strong – we fought, I lost, and she disappeared into thin air. She's with  _them_ , Mamoru. She's fighting for the Moon Kingdom."

He didn't want to think about it now, so he pushed it aside, choosing not to have heard, or pretend to himself that he hadn't. Usagi wasn't 'with them'; she would never be with them. Not willingly. Diana had found a way to kidnap her, or replace her with a double – she wasn't with them, and that was as far as he'd let himself take it. He had to concentrate on healing Midori.

"They've got the senshi's power gems," Hanada repeated, speaking quickly, "This was Diana's plan, to use Usagi to get the gems. How quickly do you think she'll put them to use?"

Diana's plan, not Usagi's. Midori's wrist needed more attention.

"I don't know!" Beryl replied, her tiny voice frantic somewhere to his left, "I don't know how their magic works! They might need to build an extraction system, or she could be draining them as we speak!"

' _Them'_  as in the power gems, not Usagi's soul.

"We need to get to Elysion,  _now!_ " Moegi turned to Helios, "How do we get there?! How do we get in?"

" _I… I'm not entirely sure how to get there from here. My movement is directly between the dimensions, but I cannot take you through there. If we knew where its old location was we could unlock the door to the dimension, but the world has changed so much since then -_ "

"I think I may know where the capital used to be," Kobai broke in, "but we'd need a plane."

"I've got that," Midori announced, coughing minimally, and as the others turned to start hastily planning their departure. Midori grasped Mamoru's wrist with his unbroken hand. "I'm sorry."

"About what?" Mamoru replied, his eyes on Midori's cheek as he finished knitting together the broken arteries in his face. He stood when he finished, offering a hand to pull Midori off the couch. "We've got an evil Queen to defeat."

…

Friday evening found them all on one of Midori's private jets, flying west out of Tokyo. The cabin was sealed off at Midori's request; after seating them and serving a light dinner, the flight attendant excused herself to sit at the front of the plane, with the pilots, and closed sound-proofed door behind her. Typically this plane was used for Midori's mother's business, so hastily put together flights with private meetings in the cabin were not new to the plane's crew, Midori had explained. They ate mostly in silence, calming nerves and settling themselves as they watched the world pass beneath them. Before too long they were flying over the Sea of Japan, the sun setting behind them creating wonderful colors beneath them; by the time the sun had set, they were passing over South Korea. It would be a long flight, one that… Mamoru looked around the cabin at his friends, wondering when, if ever, he'd see them so calm again.

Hanada, his dark blonde curly hair pulled back in a low ponytail, leaned over his tray, writing furiously in a large yellow legal pad. Mamoru smiled – working on another news story, even now. The blonde wore his typical gray scarf over a blue and white horizontal striped shirt, black vest and jeans, not unlike the outfit he wore the first time he transformed into North King, several months ago. His pendant of Zoisite hung over his shirt, swaying back and forth as he wrote. He had needed only minutes to explain the situation to his parents – barely ten elapsed between his entering his apartment in his school uniform and exiting his current clothes, carrying a small overnight bag to fit the cover story he had concocted.

Moegi had taken a bit longer than that; his parents wanted all the details of the trip, not only where he was going and with whom, but also of what sort of impact it would have on his college applications or resumes. According to them, Midori, whose family they admired, was just taking some friends on a little trip; Yuu assured them that he would be shadowing some very important people while he was away. Now the blond was staring out his window, looking at home in his black slacks and white shirt and tie, the sleeves rolled up past his elbows. His expression was guarded, but Mamoru easily read him. He was determined, but questioning, worried about something. His family? The life he could be leaving behind? Their future? That was probably on everyone's minds, well… everyone except, maybe, Midori.

The brunet napped in his seat with his feet propped up in his window sill, snoring softly with his empty plate in his lap. Mamoru could help shaking his head, grinning. If they were keeping score, Midori was at least on his second life – well, technically third, if the Golden Age counted in the tally – and still he gave everything his all. He lived with his heart on his sleeve and unshakable, even overconfident hope in his heart, an easy grin and a joke always at the ready. Of all of them, he came off as the least worried about the outcome of the upcoming fight, and Mamoru both enjoyed and felt he didn't deserve that confidence.

And finally, Kobai, who caught his gaze and held it with his silver-gray eyes. He seemed to know what Mamoru was thinking, understand, and accept it, all in one gaze. Kobai was the late-comer to their group; he came in and immediately accepted and added on to a lie that they had thought was truth, all in the attempt to keep Mamoru safe. His actions had led, maybe not directly, to Usagi's kidnapping, and of the group that had known the truth, he seemed the least apologetic about hiding the truth from him. He was stubborn and came off as arrogant sometimes, but Mamoru had grown to appreciate and even want the calming presence that the Evening Star brought with him. It gave him clarity, even as it made him second-guess his own decisions. He could trust Kobai to do what was needed, and to fight him when his decisions weren't the best. Kobai was reliable, a natural leader, and despite it all, Mamoru was glad he was there.

They would make it back.

"Iraq, huh?" Midori asked, suddenly awake, his eyes looking over at Kobai. His question caught both Moegi and Hanada's attention; they all looked to Kobai for his reasoning, even Helios and Beryl perked up from their quiet meeting in the seat beside Yuu.

"It makes the most sense Archaeologically and mythologically," Kobai explained, "The ancient city of Babylon, located in modern-day Hillah, Iraq, was an ancient seat of power for the old world. A center of knowledge and learning, located in Mesopotamia, the Fertile Crescent, both Babylon and Babylonia have loose connections to the myth of Endymion, as the Prince, the Astronomer, and the Shepherd. When Elysion disappeared, it would make sense that the Prince of the Golden Kingdom live on in his subjects minds, inevitably turning into legends and then to myth. It's only an educated guess, but I feel strongly about it."

"It's stronger than anything else we can come up with," Moegi replied, "And if it's wrong –"

"It won't be wrong," Midori interrupted, "Kobai's been looking this stuff up for weeks now and he's a history buff; I trust his judgment. Plus," he turned to Kobai, "You're originally from that general area, right?"

"More or less," Kobai shrugged. "I'm having a cousin meet us at the airport to take us to Hillah. There is construction going on in the area so I'm guessing it shouldn't be too hard to get into the ruins."

"And once we're there?" Moegi prompted, looking to Helios.

" _We'll use your powers to open a portal into Elysion,_ " the unisus supplied, garnet eyes shining.

"And then steal the crystals and take down Diana before she can awaken the Queen, or take down the Queen before she amasses power, or whatever, and save the world," Midori finished, putting his hands lazily behind his head and shrugging, "Easy enough."

"We'll find Usagi, too," Hanada added, catching Mamoru's attention as he confidently nodded his head. "With Diana gone, I'm sure whatever warped her will be lifted, and she'll return to the Usagi we know."

Mamoru smiled back at him, nodding in return, but deep down he wondered if Usagi would ever truly be the same again. She'd been kidnapped by the Moon Kingdom, then used to deliver the crystals to them, going against her very mission as Jewel Tiara. To his mind came the memory of one of the nightmares of the previous week, where Usagi's flesh melted off her bones and she screamed; he shuddered. Had that been a vision, rather than a dream? Was the Usagi he had spoken with in the hospital nothing but a copy, the real Usagi having died back then? … like  _her_ … he pushed the silver haired memory aside roughly, focusing instead on his friends, and then wondering suddenly if he would be causing their deaths yet again, leading them now to their doom on the very battlefield they had originally died on.

The truth was that Mamoru still wasn't ready. He hadn't found a way to turn the Golden Crystal's healing energy into an attack powerful enough to subdue Diana, so what were the real chances that they would prevail here? He was in no mental position to fight, either; he was worried about Usagi, angry at Helios, afraid for his friends, despairing about his ineptness, and the thought of returning to the battlefield where he had lost Serenity threatened to undue him before they ever reached their destination. They were returning to Elysion, returning to Endymion's home,  _his home_ , and he was nowhere near prepared, but he had to pretend to be else they really would suffer. The thoughts were driving him dizzy.

Yet, despite his inner turmoil, Mamoru felt himself growing tired, and quickly falling asleep.

…

Little more than nine hours later, they landed. It was still in the middle of the night in Tokyo, but in Iraq, the night was still young. Mamoru awoke refreshed but confused for having been able to sleep so soundly on the eve of what could be the greatest battle ever fought for Earth when lately sleeping had come without much luck for him, but then he supposed falling asleep had been more like passing out than really drifting off. His body had probably had enough and taken over for him. The plane taxied on the runway, but when the stewardess came out to help them with their bags, she was politely dismissed. They wouldn't need a change of clothing or toothbrush where they were going. As they descended the stairs to the tarmac, Hanada stayed behind, giving the woman instructions about his legal pad, while Midori talked to the pilots about return times. Mamoru wondered what, exactly, he told them.

Outside the small airport, Kobai's cousin waited for them with a small white van. Kobai sat up front, the rest of them piled in back, settling in for another hour-long drive from Bagdad to Hillah. Helios and Beryl flew overhead, unseen in the darkness as they watched for any incoming threats. The four in back rode in relative silence while Kobai talked casually with his cousin; Hanada suggested catching another hour of sleep, but Mamoru wasn't tired, so he took to relaxing and listening.

It was interesting to eavesdrop on a conversation in another language; he hadn't heard much of any language other than Japanese and English, with a touch of Korean, so listening to fluent Arabic was a welcome puzzle for his mind to work on, rather than focusing on what lay ahead for them. He picked up on some of the verb conjugations quickly, and general sentence structures; he used to think that being able to understand and even copy languages had been a quirky natural talent, but now he wondered if he was so easily able to catch speech patterns because, as Endymion, he had known many of the languages, or their predecessors, personally. After a while of lazily listening, he had deciphered several different words and phrases, many based on familial names or family news, and had heard Kobai's name pronounced in his native tongue, and 'Khalid' sounded infinitely better coming from his cousin's mouth than it did from Midori's.

As soon as they passed into Hillah, the earthquakes started. Small at first, barely able to be registered, but soon their energy increased, jolting the car. Kobai requested his cousin continued to drive as long as possible, and the man obliged. Lights came on all over the city, police sirens wailing and city-wide alarm systems sounding to alert the sleeping populace of the quakes.

" _That's strange,_ " Kobai's cousin said, " _Earthquakes aren't that common around here_."

" _That is strange,_ " Kobai replied, glancing back at them, " _How much farther to the ruins?_ "

This was it. It was starting now, the battle for Earth's future. Five guys, five  _teenage_  guys, a Pegasus, and a fairy, led by a young man who couldn't unlock his true potential, up against an ancient and powerful force of destruction. Great. The van stopped and Kobai got out, opening the side door for them to exit as he spoke to his cousin about waiting for a phone call. The man nodded, looking confused, and drove away, taking the solid light source of his car with him. As the Earth shook once again beneath them, they let Helios lead the way through the mounds that marked the ancient ruins of Babylon.

It was hard to believe that the barren ground they stepped over had once been green and fertile; it was nothing more than dry dust, hard-packed sand, and the occasional patch of scrub grass amid ancient rocks. The ground crunched beneath their shoes as they pressed on; past the chain link fence was a maze of dried stone walls, corridors of an ancient city long since destroyed and buried. It was eerie, almost too quiet as the city's sounds were absorbed or swept away the farther into the ruins they traveled, and the notion that he had been here before as Endymion was throwing him. Had this really been his home? Babylon? It didn't sound right – the Earth's capitol had been  _Elysion_ , not "Babylon", but… the stars seemed right. The ground beneath him, though tired and dry, felt familiar. Had Babylon perhaps followed in Elysion's wake? Before too long, however, they found themselves in an area of construction. Workers cranes littered the area – the current leader of Iraq was building on the site, erecting what appeared to be a modern day above-ground model of the ruins of the ancient city beneath; what if the area they were looking for, whatever it was they needed to activate to get into Elysion, lay buried beneath Earth and concrete? What if this wasn't even the site? What if the battle they were attempting to fight was over before it began, ended by the natural flow of time? Before he could worry further, Helios stopped ahead, beyond the half-reconstructed buildings, and hovered above a particularly large hill. " _Here_."

Under Helios's instructions, each of them lined up with their cardinal direction; Hanada Kaito, holding his blue pendant of Zoisite, stood north, facing south into the center of their circle. Moegi Yuu, holding the green pendant of Jadeite, stood opposite him, facing north from south. Midori Nero stood to the east, facing west, holding the Neprhite "good luck charm" his mother had giving him when he was five, the reason he was able to transform without Helios's gift. To the west stood Kobai Khalid, holding his pink Kunzite pendant, standing tall. In the middle of them all, holding his Pyrite pendant in one hand, the Golden Crystal in the other, stood Chiba Mamoru. Once they were settled, Helios nodded for Moegi to start.

" **The King of the South requests entrance to Elysion!** " he called into the night, his voice ringing against the sirens of the city. His pendant started to glow, and then shone brightly, the burst transforming him into South King and continued to shine.

" **The King of the East**   **begs entrance to Elysion!** " Midori shouted confidently, his darker green stone bursting with light as Midori became East King.

" **The King of the North entreats entrance to Elysion!** " Hanada yelled, his blue stone lighting up as he became North King.

" **The King of the West desires entrance to Elysion!** " Kobai called, his voice the most convincing of them all even before he became West King.

Once he finished, his pink light glowing to complete the circle, a white light grew to surround them. Energy flew in all directions; their capes appeared to combat the power, the air crackling with electricity, warm breezes, cold chills, and a metallic taste; Mamoru steadied himself best he could. Now was his turn. Holding both of his items aloft, Mamoru yelled, " **The Golden Prince calls open the doors between Earth and Elysion, that they may admit him and his guard!** " Power flowed over him from the gems in his hand as he transformed to Cardinal King. Light as bright as the sun enveloped them all, calling the other shines together, until the world was so bright that he had to close his eyes. A cold sensation gripped him, reminding him instantly of the feeling of Jupiter's cloud draining him of energy months ago at the Masquerade; he fought back, throwing more energy around them, cocooning them against whatever magic was at work as they crossed dimensions. The feeling lessoned until it finally disappeared, and when the light faded enough for him to open his eyes, he knew it had worked.

They were in Elysion.

They were in a small thicket, standing before the ruined gates of a derelict stone wall, taller than three of them together in some places, crumbled to the ground in others. The greenery, it seemed, was an addition that crept forward from the roadside, for below their feet were the worn stones of an old road. The cover came as a welcome surprise, but still they ducked, wondering if their arrival had been noticed. With a nod from West King, they hastily moved off the road and out of the sight of the castle beyond the gates, ducking behind thicker brush as they surveyed the area. With another nod, Helios disappeared, doing covert aerial reconnaissance. Mamoru watched them go; the sky was an odd color, the lighting reminiscent of a stormy day despite the lack of clouds. As he looked around him he noticed similar properties in the living things; the grass, the trees, the leaves were different, too, their color dark as midnight emeralds. It was an oppressive feeling, almost like a betrayal; it was only too easy to shift his thoughts and see the area how it used to be, thousands of years ago, with bright summer skies and verdant, lively and manicured greenery. There should be a lake to the east, and to the north…

The battlefield.

Where was Diana? He looked behind him, at the old castle, his first birthplace and home. Was she there, corrupting Earth's Kingdom further by her very presence within its sacred halls? It was the most easily defended, even in its broken state; had she found the secret passages leading out? Could they find them again to get in? Where would she be holding Usagi? There was no dungeon, no tall tower –

" _North!_ " Helios cried, winging in fast, landing amongst them. Hanada paid rapt attention, but as Helios's sides heaved, he elaborated, " _She's amassing an army to the north! There's something there that they are protecting – I could not see what it was, but the energy surrounding it is immense."_

"But that was the old battleground," Moegi offered, his brows bent in confusion, "It's indefensible – the grounds were cleared of obstacles; unless the plants have somehow provided some cover – "

"Or she built something – was there a structure?" Kobai asked, looking north through the trees but speaking back to them.

" _None that I could see_ ," Helios replied.

"Perhaps that's what the army of monsters is for?" Midori offered.

"What, to be her construction crew?" Moegi snarked, glaring over at Midori.

"No, idiot," Midori snarked back, "To be that defense she's lacking."

"Did you see what they were protecting?" Hanada asked, his cool voice slicing neatly through the tiff between East and South.

Helios shook his head. " _I couldn't get close enough without them seeing me; the creatures were keeping watch. Beryl, did you get—_ " he paused, looking around, " _Beryl?_ " he called, and suddenly Mamoru realized that he hadn't seen the fairy in a while. He had assumed she had been keeping close to Helios or Kobai, but Helios clearly hadn't been partnering with her and Kobai looked just as confused as the rest of them. With all eyes on him, he shook his head once – he hadn't seen her.

"She wouldn't have abandoned us," Kobai reassured, though Mamoru was fairly sure none of them had thought it of her. Beryl wasn't the type to give up without a fight. She had come to Tokyo of her own accord, had found Kobai, trained him, and gave him any information she had gathered. She was secretive, bossy, argumentative and a little annoying, but he had never doubted her loyalty or her drive to save the world and win back Elysion. Which, to him, only left them with one option for her whereabouts.

"We need a plan," he stated, and immediately everyone started talking at once.


	18. One-Sided Battle for Earth

In the end, there were no brilliant plans, no daring options. Diana was surrounded by monsters in the middle of a battlefield cleared of greenery thousands of years ago specifically to make covert attacks near impossible; even after all this time there was only grass covering the expanse. They played with the idea of sending someone in on Helios's back in an aerial strike, but none of them, save Mamoru, had any wide-angle attacks that would cut through the ranks of the youma, and Kobai flat-out vetoed the idea of having Mamoru up there. There were too many unknowns, the most glaring of which was whether any of the enemy creatures could fly. They toyed with the idea of working their way around, picking off the outer rim guerilla-style, but there was an  _army_  out there – it would take hours to pick them off one-by-one, and with the senshi's crystals in Diana's grasp, they didn't have hours. The only option they had was the direct approach: run in swinging and hope for the best. No one particularly liked the idea – least of all Hanada, who felt like he had failed them all by being unable to come up with anything else – but what other option did they have?

They chose, at the very least, to skirt around through cover for as long as possible, and so set out through what used to be a line of trim trees – now an overgrown copse – that lined the road. There was some discussion over running versus creeping – quickness verses stealth – and, in the end, they chose to compromise and moved forward in a crouched run. They made some noise, but not enough to carry through the underbrush, especially with an army up ahead. How the hell were they to face an army?! Even as Mamoru rushed forward, determined not only to fight but to try to win this battle for Earth, he wondered how their victory would even be possible, but he was unable to keep his mind on the looming problem for long.

Eerie echoes through time kept catching up with him as their run turned to a creep towards Diana's forces, his mind seeing double: both the grim, overcast and overgrown, and the bright, verdant and nostalgic as his memories of the Golden Age oozed through the dim reality, filling him in an unfamiliar yet welcome way. He felt almost whole as what he saw evoked emotions of forgotten joy; just there, beyond the orchard, was where he had learned to ride; he had learned archery over by the lake – his teacher had made him swim to catch whatever arrows had missed their mark; he, Nephrite, Jadeite, Zoisite and Kunzite used to play 'capture the castle' over on the far lawn – they'd swap partners, but whenever Zoisite and Kunzite were on a team together they always won. There were sad and shameful memories, as well – like when they had hunted before the season had begun, and his father sat him down just over there to talk about what he had done and took the opportunity to tell him about the permanence of death, or when his mother personally knelt down in front of him, right at his eye level, took his arms and shamed him for bullying and teasing a boy from the lower social class. He remembered incidents like that strongly, clearly; he remembered how they shaped him, how his parents had affected him…

But he refused to believe that they had truly affected his current life.

The thought that who he was now had been affected by his past life was both comforting and unacceptable – comforting in those memories of a childhood with parents, unacceptable in the notion that his own  _real_  parents, the Chibas, had little to nothing to do with whom he was. He couldn't remember them, true, but that doesn't mean they didn't have an impact. Who was to say that they also hadn't also imparted those lessons on him? Who's to say they hadn't been even better parents? Completely discounting them in his development was disrespectful in the worst way, and he refused to consider the notion that who he had been hundreds of years ago affected who he was now. He was Mamoru Chiba, not Endymion, and he had to believe that in order to keep some semblance of control over his life.

"You okay?" Hanada asked quietly from his shoulder.

Mamoru nodded, unclenching the fist at his side. "Fine."

"Nervous?"

"Really, Hanada?" Moegi cut in, "Final showdown with head enemy boss with the planet on the line – do you really have to ask?"

"Eh," Midori cut in with a shrug, "What'll be will be. We'll fight our hardest, kick ass, and go home. Mamoru's ready for this – I believe in him."

"We all do," Kobai added, slowing them down and ducking behind a tree. Their cover ended just ahead, and they could see from where they were the mass of hulking beastmen ahead of them. Once in relative cover, Kobai continued, catching and holding Mamoru's gaze. "You're ready for this – trust in your judgment and just let the crystal do its work." Mamoru nodded through the knots of doubt in his stomach, wondering if he should've told them all that he hadn't mastered the crystal yet, but before he could warn them of his shortcomings and what they could mean for the future, Hanada's sharp whisper threw his attention skyward.

"Helios!" the blonde hissed, "What are you—"

" _I'll draw their attention._ " Helios was already out of sight, flying back towards the citadel behind them, " _Protect him, Kings! Get him to Diana, whatever the cost!"_ The order sent a chill down Mamoru's spine – this was really it. The realization continually hit him; at one moment he felt like he accepted it, but whenever he was reminded it hit him anew. They could die, and if they did, the world would end. They had no army, no support – it was just the six of them – now the five – against an ancient and powerful force of evil, and they were on a time crunch. They steeled themselves, readying for whatever diversion Helios was setting up, convincing themselves that the stupid horse wouldn't do anything too stupid in the process, when Mamoru got his own personal message from his 'mentor'. " _Prince, I know I haven't always been fair or truthful, but I have enjoyed being at your side in this lifetime, as I had not been in your last. It has been an honor and a privilege, Mamoru. Give her hell._ "

An explosion tore through the air, and Mamoru gritted his teeth, summoning his Rose Sword. He made a dash forward, but West King, Kobai, caught him and held him back, waiting until the monsters that were leaving to check out the disturbance had left. Once it was relatively quiet ahead of them, Kobai let him go. Turning to the others he said, "You heard him. Let's not let his sacrifice be in vain."

As one, East, South and North pulled out their weapons, and together they all charged the field.

Helios's diversion had cleared a good number of the monsters, who were now running loudly back towards the Golden Palace, but those who remained spotted the kings and reacted. For some it was too late, and they disintegrated as they were hit with fiery knives, or struck with an icy whip, pommeled with stone fists, or sliced by a curved blade. The Kings' momentum carried them far, but it was clear that they would not make it to the center of the throng of beings and Diana. As the ugly creatures hemmed them in, the four stood to guard Mamoru's back as he sent a spray of energy forward, clearing a path farther in. They rushed forward, but one set of footsteps were missing. Mamoru paused, looking back to see who they were missing, ready to turn and fight, but Moegi's hand on his shoulder propelled him forward.

"Wait – "

"He said to go on without him," Moegi replied, staring straight forward as he ran, his hand still on Mamoru's shoulder. His voice subtly caught as he continued, throwing a knife to the side to send three of the encroaching monsters bursting into flames, "He'll hold them off."

Mamoru turned his head to see Midori standing alone, his lighthearted taunts carrying above the clamor of monster voices. "He doesn't need to! We can go through together – " Mamoru protested, slowing – they couldn't just leave him! This time Moegi was joined by Hanada, who both pushed him forward, their attacks flinging to either side to keep the enemies at bay.

"Don't waste the chance he's given us; if he weren't there we'd be overrun. If we turn back now it's over!" Hanada advised, holding his arm and forcing him to run. From behind them the ground shook, and one final glance back showed a wave of monsters falling to dust around East King, with more rushing in to take their place. Soon he was lost amongst their forms, and was gone. Mamoru faced forward, knowing that he wasn't dead, and wasn't going to die. He wouldn't let that happen. If only the stupid crystal worked! Kobai swung his sword ahead of them, destroying any monsters that approached from that angle.

But they were only four, and soon they were flanked. Mamoru brought the crystal to bear in one hand, his sword in the other, and concentrated, trying to force the energy outward, to destroy the crowd of snarling, lunching monsters, but nothing happened. Nothing at all. Hanada stepped forward in his green-trimmed uniform and brought his whip to bear, sending it outwards dangerously, keeping the creatures at bay. "Leave me!" he yelled, looking back at them through his blue mask, "Get to Diana! End this!"

Mamoru summoned a rose and threw it into the crowd, standing his ground.

" _Now,_ Mamoru!" Kaito yelled, and Kobai grabbed him and threw him forward, towards their goal, as Moegi took the lead, his flames keeping the monsters at bay or exploding them should they attempt to get in their way. Before too long a high pitched whirring sound hit their ears – Hanada's whip, slinging quickly over his head in a circle. Another short shockwave reassured them of Midori's status, and Mamoru started to run fully. They were okay. They could hold their own.

"This looks like me," Kobai announced as the earth shook beneath them; the footsteps of a towering beast that rose from amidst the horde. It was as tall as a building with fearsome tusks and a slight minotaur-esque appearance. Muscles rippled along its arms and legs and it yelled a warning.

"You can't fight that alone!" Mamoru protested, incredulous at the sheer size of the foe.

"There's no time," Kobai replied, holding his blade ready, eyeing the beast fiercely. "She could be using the Crystals as we speak. Go!"

Moegi doubled back and slid in beside Kobai, his blades ready. "Two can hold this off better than one. I'm with you, West." The blonde turned back to Mamoru, and slung a blade behind them both as he said, "There's a clearing ahead with some sort of barrier – we hit the end, Chiba."

"Go with him to the barrier," Kobai ordered.

"What?!" Moegi rebuked.

"It might take a moment to figure out how to break it – defend him."

Moegi growled, but nodded. "Don't get in over your head," he announced, then turned to Mamoru, "Looks like you're not rid of me yet. Let's go!"

He was tired of this, but it was almost the end. Nearly there. The barrier ahead of them was shining almost like a bubble, and he slowed his approach, in case it would just send him backwards. Moegi stood facing outwards, back the way they came, throwing knife after knife into the thinning crowd as Mamoru brought some warm power to bear and touched the barrier's surface. His hand passed through easily, and he stepped through into the dead silence beyond. He turned, waiting for Moegi, but as the blonde stepped back to go through the barrier, he was stopped immediately, as though hitting a solid wall. The blonde turned, looking over his shoulder at him through his red mask, and said something. Mamoru couldn't hear him, so stepped forward to go back through – maybe he had to pull him through, infusing him with the Golden Crystal's energy – but this time when he hit the barrier he, too, was stopped. Even brining his power to bear, he could not pass through. Moegi waved him off, throwing more knives into encroaching monsters, and said something else. Making a thumbs up, the pushed himself off the barrier and shot into the beasts, wielding knives as he created his own pathway back towards where they had left Kobai, the towering beast a clear indicator that that battle was not yet over.

He was alone, and they were counting on him. Everyone was counting on him. Taking a deep breath, he turned away from the barrier and the battle raging just beyond it, and rushed deeper into Diana's lair, determined not to fail them.

The farther he traveled, the more apparent it became that Diana was not hiding in any sort of lair or fortress; the only structure of any sort was a strange, crystalline formation that sat in the middle of the field as though it had grown there. All but invisible until he had entered through the barrier, it was nearly two stories tall, made out of clear stone – perhaps quartz? – and had several smaller crystalline features bursting outwards from it. He ran towards it, his sword at the ready, knowing full well that he would not have surprise on his side. It was too open a field for that. As he expected, she was the one who surprised him, but he wouldn't give her an ounce of an opening beyond that.

"Why, if it isn't the young  _Prince Endymion_ ," Diana drawled, smirking as she suddenly appeared to his left. She was dressed as she was in their last battle, holding a long and thin silver spear topped in a crescent scythe in her right hand. Beside her stood Jewel Tiara.

Cardinal King brandished his Rose Sword before him, his eyes glaring into Diana's, standing tall and firm. In his peripheral he tried to get a feel for Usagi – she didn't seem hurt, but there was something about her that was off; the scowl on her face, perhaps; the unsettling similarities between she and Diana for certain. Diana's blonde hair was up in odangos, just as Usagi's,  _just as Serenity's_ , but the similarities didn't stop there. The length and cut of their dresses were similar, and while Jewel Tiara's had cleaner cuts and a more modern style, it was obvious that it stemmed from the short toga-esque attire Diana sported. While Jewel Tiara wore small black boots, Diana wore strapped sandals of the same height. Where Jewel Tiara had the red gorget, Diana had a thick studded red necklace. Doubt attempted to bubble up from his stomach, recalling all the warnings his friends had given him about Jewel Tiara and her possible alliance with the Moon Kingdom, the new ties being made between their appearance and attire – could Usagi be one of Diana's warriors, reborn? – but he squashed it, thinking only of Usagi, her ditziness and her clumsiness, her loud protests and her pure heart. It wasn't possible, he stubbornly refused.

Keeping a tight grip on his sword, he refuted Diana's greeting. "I am not Endymion – I am Chiba Mamoru! Stop what you are doing and return Usagi and the Crystals!" He couldn't see the crystals on either of them – Usagi's belt was missing, the gems along with it, but as the terrifying force Diana was attempting to summon didn't seem to be around, he had to assume they were still there somewhere, and he had time to stop Diana before things got worse.

"My, my, not  _Endymion_ , eh?," Diana chided, smirking at him as she put a hand to her hip, her other hand angling her spear to the floor as she tilted her head to the side. "Then why are you here,  _Mamoru Chiba_? This fight is not yours. Surrender the Golden Crystal and I will let you return from whence you came in peace." She was toying with him.

"Never!" he cried defiantly. "This is your last warning – Usagi and the Crystals, now!"

She turned her head to raise a brow at Usagi. Turning back to him, she scoffed, "Why should I? I do not fear the Prince of Earth, why should I quiver at the demands of a high school student? I have the crystals, I have your  _dear little love_ , your allies are lost to you, and you don't have the power to face me. I grow tired of this, boy; hand over the crystals and I will not run you through." She reached towards him, palm up, and waited, a scowl on her face.

Scowling back and thinking quickly, he lowered his sword and hesitantly stepped forward, as though fighting with himself over the decision to surrender. He'd get close, then ram her through and be done with this – he didn't need the powers of the Golden Crystal after all, he just needed good timing. With her dead, the barrier should fall; he'd grab Usagi and the crystals and make it back to Hanada and Midori and the others, heal them, find Helios and Beryl, and then teleport out of there somehow. They'd come back for Elysion later, when they had a better plan for the monster infestation. When he was within a few feet of her, he reached into his pocket as if to pull out the Crystal, then lunged forward, blade level, and summoned a rose to throw at her as she side-stepped out of his way. She jumped back a few paces and he turned to face her, backing up and holding the corner of his cape out to shield Usagi from her view. Plan failed, but it wasn't over yet.

Diana's eyes twitched once, and then she smiled slowly, "If you insist." In a quick and fluid motion, she lobbed her spear at them. Mamoru reached back, pushed Usagi out of the way and fell; the spear barely missing him, whizzing over his head so fast it was but a blur. He rolled up to his knees and summoned another rose, but froze. Diana had Usagi, a small curved blade held at Jewel Tiara's throat. "Last chance, boy," she said, shaking her head as though he were a petulant child.

He needed time to figure out another plan. "Why do you need the Golden Crystal, anyway? Weren't the Senshi's soul gems enough?" he asked, standing to face her yet again, his sword at the ready as he started circling her. She kept her body squared to his, moving Usagi around with her. There was something wrong with Usagi – he had seen it before, but now it was fully apparent. She was comatose still, her eyes glazed over, standing and moving but no one was home; she wasn't really there. What had happened to her? " _Wake up Usagi,_ " he ordered in a whisper, hoping to somehow get through to her.

"They never were," Diana replied indulgently, with all the confidence of a cartoon villain. This was typically the villain's downfall – revealing their plan, their actions, and while Mamoru hoped to glean information from what she had to offer, as the cartoon heroes always did, with his friends out of reach and Usagi in some form of unconsciousness, he wondered if there even was a way out of this. If only he could use the Golden Crystal the way Helios had described…

"Not enough power?" Mamoru prompted, still circling, hoping to find some sort of flaw in her defenses, or some flaw in the barrier behind her.

"The Silver Crystal can only take power from the Sailor Crystals when its bearer asks for that power – she cannot receive it when she is sleeping, she never could."

"Then why did you want them?" Mamoru asked, dread settling over him.

She smirked, confirming his suspicion, "I never did." It was a trap. It had been all along. "What I wanted was the Golden Crystal and its powers of healing – and here you are, hand delivering it to me. You really are too predictable, Prince, no matter what you choose to call yourself. You restarted the world for the girl you loved – nice job, by the way," she sneered sarcastically, "so all I needed to do was to set a trap using the new model." She turned and patted Usagi's cheek familiarly, "She's cute. An odd case, but cute." She turned back to him, her blue eyes hard on his. "Oh, but you disappointed me. When I had Venus kidnap her the first time, we expected you and your forces to come running immediately; when you didn't, I had to think up a new plan. Threatening her safety wasn't enough, apparently, so I had to use your illusions about the Sailor Crystals  _and_ threaten her again to get you down here. Pity I had to sacrifice Venus, but it all worked out in the end. Or it will. Now, the crystal, or she dies."

He was a fool. Throughout his whole journey as Cardinal King, ever since he had been threatened in his apartment by an overly-bossy Pegasus, he'd had the same thought over and over – he was a fool, and despite how much he thought he had grown, or how much he had thought over the different angles, his foolishness was proven to him over and over again, and now… she had him. They walked into this thinking that they would surprise her, or throw her off, intimidate her and defeat her, when all the while she had personally invited them in. And now there was no way out. The only plus to all of this would be that he had time on his side – she needed his Golden Crystal to awaken their Queen, so he could stall as long as he wished and the world would not suffer – but that wasn't true at all. They were out there with their lives on the line – Hanada, Midori, Moegi, Kobai, even Helios and Beryl. The world had time, but they didn't, and the longer he waited the longer they had to fight, and the more tired they would become. He chuckled darkly – it was a really good trap.

But he knew what had to be done. There was only one ending they could accept, and her getting his crystal was not it.

He raised his sword yet again, crouching to face her. There was only one way out of this, and that was through Diana's demise. Without the power of the Golden Crystal behind him, the fight would be remarkably one sided, as it had been all those years ago, but he would go down fighting. Earth wouldn't be handed over on a silver platter, even if… even if Usagi's life were in the balance. He had to find a way to rescue her – if only she weren't so distant! If only she would react! But even so, he knew what she would have wanted in this scenario. All those times when she sided with the innocent; he hated to think on it, but he knew that, like himself, she would rather die than let Diana have her way. And perhaps, while the crystal wouldn't allow him its powers of destruction, he could still use its power of healing to save her.

"You fool," Diana spat, her eyes narrowing. But then a smile crept over her face. "You won't last. Jewel Tiara!" she released Usagi, whose head snapped up in response, her body tensed and ready for action. His sword arm wavered. "Get the crystal from him and give it to me."

Usagi nodded, her deadened eyes staring at him, and charged forward with her hand out, reaching for him.


	19. The Present and the Past! Mamoru and Endymion combine?

He dodged her advance, twisting aside and angling his blade away. "Usagi!" he cried, turning to avoid her punches. "Wait!" he entreated, ducking to avoid a well-aimed kick. "Usagi, it's me!" he caught her wrist and held it, imploring her familiar spark to surface, to show some sign that she was still in there, but instead his hesitation was met with her other fist hitting him square in the temple. He faltered, dropping his sword, and rolled away as her foot swung through, barely missing a kick that would have stunned him further. "Usagi!" he yelled, his head swimming and throbbing with pain, the world moving beneath him as he tried to regain his sense of balance, "It's me! It's Mamoru!" Glancing up he saw the double image of her pacing towards him, the blonde-and-white blur of Diana standing ominously behind. He pushed himself up off the ground, uneasily getting to his feet, one hand holding his head as the other reached out ahead of him, waiting to stave off another attack. She lunged forward, elbow first, to strike him; he caught her elbow and used her momentum to throw her aside. He stumbled from the sudden change in motion, but he could feel himself healing, his headache lessening and his vision clearing. Usagi was on the ground, but she came back to her feet easily. Dirt smeared the right side of her dress and face, blood coloring the mix, but she didn't react to it in the least.

" _Usagi!_ " he pleaded, his mind racing – she had seemed better at the hospital, but what if she had never been?! What if the Usagi he knew was still lost, and had been since she was taken by Venus that night? What had Diana done with the real Usagi?! She was moving even faster now – he was barely managing to dodge her. Diana was laughing now as she landed punch after punch – he couldn't attack her. He couldn't hurt her! But suddenly the laughter was behind him and he rolled just in time to get away from Diana's surprise attack, her hand swiping the air where he had just been. She disappeared, reappearing where she had been before, her expression one of amusement. His nerves were on fire with the realization that Usagi was meant to be a dangerous distraction. He ducked and dodged Usagi's advance, his senses wide open for any hint that Diana had teleported again, one hand always swiping behind him to keep her back should she attempt to surprise him. He couldn't last like this. He had to stop one of them, and with Usagi acting like a drone…

His heart sunk as he caught her arm again and twisted to spin her around, pinning her to him and immobilizing her arms. She kicked back hard into his knee; he buckled, but he kept her close to him. She shot her head backwards and he turned his face up and to the side, her skull slamming into his neck rather than his jaw or nose. It was hard to breathe – his grip loosened and she regained the use of her arm. With it she reached for her forehead to use the weapon worn there.

Diana's voice chided from behind him, "Ah, ah, get the Crystal." He tightened his hold and swung Usagi around, her legs shooting out to ineffectively swipe the area behind him, keeping Diana back a few paces. She struggled in his arms, her free arm thrusting backwards to elbow him in the stomach. Quickly he grabbed it, pinning it to him again as he fought to breathe.

Was there really no other way? Did he have to hurt her to make her stop? "Please," he begged, speaking just for her, hoping she was still there somewhere. Not like Venus had been in the end, driven to madness, but truly there, even if buried deep. The world needed Usagi Tsukino, it needed her bright shine; her humor and her disposition, her smile and her clumsiness, her heart. If not for her, who was he saving the world for? His heart jumped straight to his friends, but what if…? His jaw tightened, refusing to let the thought move further, even as his heart jumped to that terrifying conclusion.  _What if he succeeded, but only he survived?_ His heart constricted painfully, and he held her closer. He'd been alone before, but he had never truly understood what it was like to have a family. To lose them all, and all at once – "I need you, Usako." Her muscles twitched, the death-grip she had on his arm relaxing slightly. He kept talking, hoping that she could hear him, hoping he wouldn't have to hurt her, hoping he could somehow get through to her. He was panicking, being selfish, but the thought of losing his family  _and_  her threatened to undo him nearly as quickly as Diana could. If he could get her back, if he could save even just her – "You are everything that is good in the world – don't let her take you, don't let her win! Fight back, Usako! Please, fight back!"

Diana appeared behind him and he turned to swing at her. This time, Usagi's leg straightened into a full kick, her hands holding his arms for support rather than trying to push away. He almost cried in relief. "Usako!" He released her, watching her closely in case it had been some sort of trick, ready to grab her again, but when she turned to face him, her eyes were her own, bright and vibrant and expressive.

"Behind you!" she warned, and immediately he called his Rose Sword to hand, turning and swinging widely. Diana teleported aside, scowling.

When she reappeared it was nearer to Usagi; he summoned a rose to throw and Usagi prepared a kick as Diana commanded in an authoritative tone, " **You belong to me.** " Her blue gaze was intense, and for a moment Usagi faltered. He threw his rose at Diana, the thorns cutting into her. She scoffed, breaking eye contact, and Usagi jumped back, shaking her head. He ran to her defense – whatever Diana was attempting, it was definitely some sort of mind control.

"You are your own person, Usako," he countered, the tip of his blade directed at Diana, "You don't belong to anyone, no matter what you were in your past life!" adding the last in case there had been a connection there, in case his every instinct about her alignment had been wrong. Diana disappeared and as quickly as he could, he whipped around, arm out to shield Usako, watching for where she would resurface. "Usako, you okay?" he prompted, wanting to get her talking and keep her talking, to give him a warning if she should succumb to Diana's tricks again. He knew he could get her back now; he just had to keep talking, to get through to her.

"I'm okay, Mamochan," she replied, hearing her say her nickname for him relaxing him all over again. He almost smiled – she was back.

"You know, we never finished watching that movie you liked so much," he said by way of conversation, needing to hear her speak as he continually turned, scanning the field. With her by his side, they could defeat Diana – he was certain of it, somehow.

"Kiki's Delivery Service?" she replied, instantly knowing which he was talking about. She was moving with him, covering his back, "Moegi never wanted to watch it, did he?" she said, a smile in her voice.

"We can watch it together when we get back," he promised.

"Where is Moegi? And Midori and the others?" she asked hesitantly.

He glanced to the outer rim of their fighting field, able to see the movement beyond the force field, but unable to glean any information. "Outside," he replied simply, his eyes returning to the immediate battlefield. Where was she? What was she waiting for?

"Mamochan, there!" she yelled in alarm – a rose was in his grip in an instant, the flower flying through the air towards where Usako had indicated, but when his sight caught up, Diana was already gone. But then she was to his left – he threw another, and another, as Diana repeatedly appeared and disappeared. Usako yelled warnings when she spotted the Lunar warrior, but his attacks were always a split second too slow, and without a pattern to her teleportations, he was hard pressed to come up with a better plan. "Mamochan!  _No!_ "

The scream tore at his heart as he heard blade pierce flesh –he spun around, his heart hammering, and came eye to eye with Diana, her smile cruel and amused, her arm outstretched, her hand gripped on a spear that had stopped midthrust. Usako was doubling over. Diana pulled her bloody spear back and disappeared as Usako started to fall – he caught her, his mind and heart reeling – it was happening again. Just the same as before – she had jumped in front of Diana's spear to save him, just as Serenity had, and now she would die, just as Serenity had. "No," he breathed, his whole body deadened in defeat as he fell with her, cradling her against him in a matter only too familiar.

"Oh, dear," Diana said in mocking remorse, appearing in front of them. "How unfortunate. I was aiming for  _you_."

Usako looked up at him, ignoring Diana's words. "I'm sorry," she winced, smiling. He put his hands over her wound, pressing down, preparing the crystal's power, concentrating on his mantra. He was not Endymion. Endymion had failed, but he wouldn't – he could save her. Just as he saved Midori, just as he had saved all those people in the hospital – he could save her.

"Looks like you should use that Crystal of yours to heal her," Diana remarked, her tone offhanded, but the meaning striking home fast. The power he used to save Midori and the people after Venus's attack had been immense – it had affected the world around him, not just whom he was healing. His mind raced, searching for a different answer, grasping at straws – he had to save her! She couldn't die! But if he used the crystal…

Diana's Queen would awaken.

She looked up at him, her gaze curious, then understanding. With a small smile, she put her hand over his, the white material turning red. He had to stop the bleeding, or else – "Hey, Mamochan?" she asked quietly, tearing his attention away from her wound. Her eyes were so beautiful, her expression so calm – how could she be so calm?! "You were the Prince after all, weren't you?"

He nodded curtly, wondering fleetingly how much she knew, regretting everything he had yet to tell her, about Luna and Artemis, about the crystals, her parents – he slipped his hand into his sleeve, wishing he had more material to use to stop the bleeding.

"I wouldn't hesitate too much longer,  _Prince_ ," Diana commented, "Unlike the first one, this girl would have no chance of being reborn should you hit the Reset Button." Usagi's expression was confused as he finally looked at the blonde with the cruel smile. "If she dies, she dies for good." Diana cocked her head to the side, one of her buns resting on the bloody sickle spear, her lips pouting as she elaborated, "You fell in love with a girl without a soul crystal – she won't even have an afterlife to look forward to if you fail to save her." She tutted, "Poor little dear."

His heart hammered in his chest as he looked back down to Usako, dying in his lap. Pieces of the puzzle were falling together – Luna and Artemis had chosen her as Jewel Tiara because she had no soul gem, thus no energy to fight against the Senshi's soul gem energy, the same reason why Beryl had claimed to be able to handle the crystals. It might explain what had happened earlier, why Diana had been able to control her so easily – but all of that were nothing, suppositions that passed in an instant, as the dark reality settled. He had to choose between saving her and dooming the world to the evil Queen's reign, or refusing to use the energy, saving the world but dooming her to death without an afterlife, without hope of being reborn. He pressed down on her wound harder.

"This has happened before?" Usako asked, her voice quiet but curious, "with another girl?"

He nodded again.

"I bet she was beautiful," she smiled.

"She was nothing compared to you," he stated.

"Did you love her?"

"Not as much as I love you," he said, imploring her to believe him.

She shook her head, "Don't say that." He froze, not knowing what to say. "If she did what I did, she must have loved you very much; don't discount her for my sake." She squeezed his hand, "I love you, Mamochan, no matter who you loved in the past." Her heart was so big; the love he felt washing over him was so warm and full and open, so unconditional, that he wondered how he had been so blind as to miss it in the first place. He nodded. "What was her name?"

It hurt him to open up that part of him, but with the warmth of her surrounding him he did so anyway, allowing a trickling stream of his memories of her come through. "Serenity."

"That's a pretty name," Usako smiled, "What was she like?"

"Like sunshine," he replied, tears springing to his eyes as he let more memories pass through, slowly breaking down the dam he had built to protect himself and his hold on the present, the walls he had erected in his heart to protect the feelings he held for Usako. Memories of Serenity's smile, her easy laugh, the way she pouted, how she stomped her foot when she was annoyed. "She was always smiling," he told her, "always." She was so easy for Jadeite to annoy, and she'd stomp and stick out her tongue and act upset, but she had already forgiven him. Serenity was free, and unabashedly childish and innocent. He loved her for all the worry she could just laugh away, envied her for her bright picture of the future, how sure she was that everything would always come out okay. She had shared with him her fears, too, but, no matter how dark the night or somber the tone, she was always able to move past them and keep smiling. And the truth was, as much as he tried to deny it before, she and Usako  _were_  a lot alike in those respects.

"So you did love her?"

"Yes," he choked, a weight falling from his chest as he did so. Tears overflowed as his love of her washed over him, followed by sharp pain. "But I couldn't save her! I was too weak back then – she died because of me! It was my fault!" he shook his head violently, starting to pour small amounts of his energy into her wound, "But I'm not him, Usako! I'm not Prince Endymion, and I  _can_  save  _you!_ "

"Mamochan," she called, lifting her cleaner glove to his face, making him pause – he wouldn't give up on her. He wouldn't let her die, too, no matter what happened to the world. "Mamochan, you  _are_  Prince Endymion –" he shook his head and she shook hers back, her movements weak but determined, "You are! And you're Mamochan, too – you're both, and that's okay! You don't have to choose between them; if you can love Serenity and me, then you can be both Mamochan and Endymion." He nodded to please her, and kept pouring in energy, trickling, then flowing, his gaze flickering to Diana for any sign from her that the energy was escaping outwards. At this rate, however, he didn't know whether he could… but he had to. He pressed farther. "This is where you used to live, right?"

He looked down at her questioningly, then nodded – she meant Elysion, the Golden Kingdom. "I remember them talking about it. It used to be very pretty, right?" He nodded, and she smiled, faintly, her eyes starting to close. "Like heaven, Sailor Venus said." She started trailing off and his heart rate skyrocketed as he fed her more energy, not caring about Diana anymore, but still Usako was fading. His breath quickened, pulse racing, putting all of his own reserves into healing her, fighting with himself over whether to use the Crystal. "Maybe, if Mamoru and Endymion work together, it can be like heaven again…"

She stopped breathing.

"USAKO!" he yelled, pouring all of himself into her, pushing the boundaries, but still it wasn't enough. Her heart was slowing, the blood loss too great – he was losing her! He couldn't lose her! He wouldn't let her die! He was Mamoru, not Prince Endymion, and he could save h—" _Maybe, if Mamoru and Endymion work together…_ " As Mamoru, he had done all that he could. Even if he used the Golden Crystal now, and used all of its powers, he only might be able to save her. But if… maybe, if he accepted himself as Endymion as well, if his past and present worked together –

Maybe he could save her.

Reaching deep into the place in his heart where Serenity lived, he fell into his old life, surrounding himself with those memories, of his Kingdom, his family, his life as the Crowned Prince of Earth. He remembered galas, court sessions, learning how to rule a country the size of a planet, and all the responsibilities that came with it. He remembered training, he remembered planning, he remembered hunting trips and the rare moment he had to relax with his friends, and with Serenity. His life as Endymion fit him like a glove, a custom-fitted second skin that, once he accepted it, felt more than natural. He wasn't different, he hadn't changed, he was just… both. Both Endymion with his training, and family, and memories of court and King and responsibilities, and Mamoru, with his little family, his school, his sports, and his dreams. He was fuller, more rounded, more centered. More powerful.

With a command the Golden Crystal flew from his pocket to hover before him, and with just a feeling, it magnified his energy, pulling from the planet itself to provide healing energy to the failing Usako. He directed the flow, magnified it, and released it – so much at once that her body was enveloped in golden light and began to glow as a pulse of pure golden energy burst outward. This was his power – this was the true power of the Golden Crystal! Usagi wouldn't die – he wouldn't let her. And together, together they  _would_  save the world and everyone on it!

It was over quickly, the amount of power flowing through knitting together her wounds – all of them – quickly and neatly, and as the light faded she was breathing normally. Blinking, she sat up and turned to face him with a smile. "Mamochan." He opened his arms and she threw herself into him, hugging him tightly; he held her close, eyes closed, amazed and grateful and thankful that she was still there. He had done it. He didn't lose her. And it was all because of her.

"Thank you," he replied, to her and to the crystal. She was safe, and he wouldn't let anything hurt her again. He pulled back, wanting to enjoy the moment, but never forgetting where they were and what was happening around them. Taking her hand in his, he stood, helping her to her feet, and noticed the new yet familiar feeling of a permanent cape on his shoulders; he was dressed as he had back then, as the Crowned Prince, and he couldn't have been more comfortable.

"No, Thank  _you_ ," Diana replied, laughing manically. She was behind them now, standing before the crystalline structure which, as they watched, was rapidly fading away. The Golden Crystal had done its job; the Moon Queen was waking. "Soon, my Queen will reawaken and together we will declare war on the Earth! We will end life here once and for all, destroying civilization after civilization in glorious battles! All will fear us and obey!" She turned, her hands raised skyward in celebration; he had only this chance – if she saw him coming, she would teleport away in an instant. Releasing Usako's hand, he summoned his Rose Sword, and dashed forward as Diana began to laugh, the last of the crystalline structure disappearing. "My Queen!" she yelled, her voice dropping to become grave, "My Queen, your daughter is dead, and that despicable and greedy Earth Prince is responsible—"

His blade caught her then, and she silenced, gasping in pain. She had never seen him coming, and while he would have felt guilty with anything or anyone else, this was Diana's tactic. Twice she had almost killed him by attacking from behind, and to him it was only right that her end be this way. "Your treacherous words end here, Diana," he announced, pulling his sword free. She whirled on him, clutching at her open wound, and fell to her knees in the dirt, her blue eyes still glaring. He remembered now all the lies she has spread about him, his court, and his kingdom to the Moon Kingdom, all the people she had turned against them on her lies alone, Queen Serenity among them. It was she who set the Moon Kingdom on the attack path, she who was responsible for that battle, all of those lives, and Serenity. But while he knew she was behind everything, he still did not know her reasons. Why did she hate the Earth Kingdom so much? "Tell me why," he bargained, lowering his sword, "and tell us how to put the queen back to sleep, and I will heal you." Usako joined him, taking his free hand in support, her gaze rapt on Diana.

"No," she replied, choking on the blood that bubbled up when she chuckled. "I am ready for death, and so, too, should you be." She smiled cruelly, "She is waking, and the life you just saved will be extinguished, as will many more before She is satisfied."

Usako's hand left his as she took a step forward. "But  _why_?" she implored, "Why are you doing this?"

"I am the Moon's war council," she grinned cruelly, her chest heaving in obvious pain, "and I grew bored."

Fury rose up within him – she had been  _bored?_ Thousands dead, worlds destroyed, because she was  _bored!?_  His fist clenched with his jaw and he stepped forward to end the life of the evil woman, but paused when he saw Usako bowing her head, her hand reaching up to brush away a tear. She was too merciful for this, too forgiving, he'd ask her to turn away – but then her hand came away holding her tiara. The weapon glowed brightly as she slung it forward. It flew true, and sliced neatly through Diana's neck, killing her quickly and cleanly, as her body near immediately turned to dust. He watched with rapt attention as some sort of black smoke or shadow rose sluggishly from the dust pile and wafted away on the air.

Usako caught the tiara as it returned and dropped it to the ground. He went to her, finding her face tear-streaked but fierce. When he reached for her hand she took it, lacing her fingers in with his, and used the back of her hand to wipe her cheeks. He kissed her temple gently, hoping to comfort her. As much as he wanted to tell her that it was over and they could go home, their biggest battle was about to begin. "You can do it, Mamochan," she said, squeezing his hand. "You can save everyone, I know you can."

"We can do it," he corrected, "Together." Keeping tight hold of her hand, they turned, watching as the last of the crystal disappeared to reveal a shining alabaster pedestal. On top sat a woman, her long frame wrapped in an elegant sleeveless gown. Her legs stretched out before her, her arms braced beside her, silver hair spilling down around her from their twin silver buns. Her silver eyes glared at them from across the distance, their depths filled with hatred as the crescent symbol on her forehead glowed.

Queen Serenity was awake.


	20. Silver and Gold, the power of the crystals.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter of the first arc* of Cardinal King.

The revelation of her identity disturbed him greatly; he had imagined a monster queen, a being of darkness and evil, but instead there was she, Queen Serenity, matron ruler of the Moon Kingdom, possessor and controller of the Silver Crystal. Princess Serenity's mother. They looked incredibly similar, but her aura was off, the air seeming to crackle and snap around her scowling, beautiful face. He had only seen her in person once, on that last day when she came to the aid of Diana's troops, but while he had never met her he had heard much of her through Serenity. Years ago she had been a just and merciful queen, but Serenity spoke uneasily of how her mother was changing. She had always drawn a hard line when it came to the safety of her people, but she began to cut all ties to Earth, though Earth had done nothing to provoke the act. He knew now what was behind it – rather whom – but any hope he had upon realizing who it was dissolved away quickly with her determined and hate-filled glare and the evil-feeling aura that saturated the air. He gripped his sword tighter, not daring to break her gaze. Should he attack first?

The tightening of her glare was the only warning he received – he dropped his sword and called the crystal, holding it tightly in his hand, and threw out its energy to block the first energy blast. It worked to divert most of her attack away from them, but the wind buffeted both he and Usagi, and he had to dig in his heels to keep upright, his cape whipping out behind him to provide stabilization. When it ended, they were both shaken, but standing. She hadn't even been trying with that blast – there was barely a flavor of Silver Crystal energy, and it had nearly stripped his shield completely. He needed a plan, and he needed one fast!

" _ **Prince Endymion of Earth**_ **!** " Queen Serenity yelled angrily. She was standing atop her pedestal now, a wand topped with a golden crescent held confidently in her hand, the point angled towards him. He could sense it there – the Silver Crystal, primed and ready. He planted his feet, preparing the channel to pull more energy, trying to remember how he had just shaped it as a shield, hoping the trick would work again with the full force of a Power Gem against it. Her eyes were fierce and her face raging as she declared, " _ **For your grievous crimes against my Kingdom, I sentence you to death!**_ **"**

" _No!_ "

His concentration scattered with the new addition to the battle. An object fell heavily to the ground beside them as the new voice tore past, moving fast. It took a moment to identify the black mass with the soft lights, but when he did a short sting of fear struck him. It was Jewel Tiara's belt. But that meant – "Beryl!" he shouted, jerking his attention back towards Serenity just in time to see the fairy angling in from the side – she was after the Silver Crystal! He dropped Usako's hand to race forward, trying to stop her – Queen Serenity was too strong! And too quick; he hadn't moved more than three steps before the Moon Queen backhanded the fairy with her weapon, sending Beryl flying. "No!" he yelled, training his eyes on her flying body, watching for where she fell – Beryl wasn't his favorite person. She was annoying, bossy, and controlling, but she had a good heart and  _no one_   _else_  would die for him! And Beryl had no soul -

" _ **Silver Crystal Power!**_ "

_Shit!_

He had barely brought the crystal's power to bear when he was thrown backwards in the blast. The magnitude of power was intense and incredible; he had to continually pull power from the Earth to keep combating it. When he could move, strained against the overwhelming barrage, with every fiber in his being he pushed himself backwards, keeping the angered Queen in his sight as he fought to keep control and move back towards Usako. His heart pounded in fear; at once he wanted to turn and see if she were safe, but was afraid that doing so might guarantee her death, as well. His heart unsure and unsteady, the Golden Crystal's power waivered. "USAKO!" he yelled throwing himself to his feet, unable to take not knowing, and turned to find himself face-to-face with Sailor Jupiter.

He nearly dropped his defenses he was so shocked – she was supposed to be dead; he had been there, she had died! His Golden power flared at his fingertips and his mind worked quickly, desperately trying to find a way to defeat both Queen Serenity  _and_  Sailor Jupiter, but he knew it would be useless. If they worked together, he would… but then, the green Senshi was not moving to attack. He studied her quickly, the threat behind him too great to take too much time. Jupiter was different. She was relaxed, she was… she was crying, as she had been in the rain of their first battle, but now she was smiling. Her arms were outstretched, as though protecting someone with both arms open, green light shooting straight out of either hand. His heart surged with hope – was she protecting Usako? Her chest glowed with soft green light, illuminating her from within; she was not all there. Her image, all but the crystal, was semi-translucent, enough to give her shape and color and form, but she was not solid. Her spirit, then?

Queen Serenity flourished her wand and her efforts redoubled. He returned his attention to her, his mind working through what he had just seen. Jupiter's spirit was released, her power gem, or Sailor Crystal or whatever, was released from the belt's containment field and was, he prayed, protecting Usako from the Silver Crystal's blast. He didn't know why, or what angle she was working, but he was grateful all the same. His power flared. If Usako were alive, if she were safe -

" _Endymion_."

His heart stopped beating, the inflection and intonation of his name pulling him into the past, into nights spent in gardens, laughing quietly and holding hands, into galas, dancing in disguises; into blue eyes framed by soft silver hair. Unprepared for whatever came next, Mamoru turned completely, his lungs leaden as his eyes searched, expecting to find a spectral image along the lines of Sailor Jupiter, but through the senshi behind him, he saw only Usako, her hands pressed together gently in front of her mouth. Jupiter's crystal floated around him, putting itself between his back and Queen Serenity, and the Silver Crystal's power ceased to affect him. He cut off the Golden Crystal's energy gently as he stared forward, waiting, hoping, Serenity might show herself. He had so much to say, yet no way to say it; and that Usako was alive, and Jupiter was protecting her – he had to thank Serenity for her protection, too. How... how could he ever… how did she forgive him? As seconds passed his hope faded; whether he knew what to say or not, he wanted… he had really wanted to see her again, to talk to her, just once more. Would she speak to him again?

Usako's shoulders shook gently, and really looking at her now he could see that she was crying, though her expression suggested disbelief more than fear or sadness. Had she seen her? Had they spoken to each other? He found himself wondering what Serenity would have said; knowing her, she probably would have thanked Usako for keeping her friends' crystals safe, and maybe knocking some sense into him, too. He hoped they had spoken, but he regretted missing her. Offering Usako a brave smile, he held the crystal and started to turn, remembering his friends still fighting outside, and knowing that the Queen's wrath would not abate with time. She had had over a thousand years to cool down; this battle's progression was sealed. One of them would not leave the battlefield alive. As his eyes swept the area to his left, he spotted an ethereal Sailor Mars in a position similar to Sailor Jupiter, red energy shooting out of her hands to make a barrier in that direction; he reasoned Sailor Mercury must be on the other side. They'd keep her safe -

" _Endymion_!" her voice laughed; a laugh he recognized twice over. He whipped around to find Usako, her guilty mouth smiling widely as she dropped her hands and dashed towards him. She had said his name with a different intonation and inflection than she had earlier, pronouncing it just as… she jumped into him, her momentum carrying them both around; he would have enjoyed it more if he weren't utterly confused. When her feet hit the ground she cupped her right hand over his left cheek, her blue eyes dancing with joy, looking for all the world as though she were seeing him for the first time, and kissed him. "Mamochan, I remember everything now!" she cried, pulling back. His mind whirled, "The Silver Millennium, the Moon Kingdom, Earth, and you, and…" her face fell, her hand leaving his face as she slowly turned to see Queen Serenity, "Diana… and my mother."

"Usako," he called. She turned around and he concentrated only on her, not daring to jump to any conclusions without clarification, "what are you talking about? What do you mean you remember?"

She smiled softly, taking his hand, though her eyes spoke only of how worried she was. "It's me, Endymion; it's been me, all along."

"Serenity?" he prompted, his heart still hesitant to believe, "You – Usako, you're Serenity?" she nodded once, though was still clearly preoccupied with the battle raging beyond the senshi's border of protection. But he had to know. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, catching her attention, "How is this possible?"

She smiled hesitantly, "I might be able to explain later, with Luna and Artemis's help. But for now," she turned around, and he stepped up to stand beside her. He didn't know how it happened, or how it was possible. He didn't know how it affected their past, or how it would affect their future, and while all he wanted to do was be with her in that moment, to fully realize what she had said and celebrate in it, she was right. For now they had to put it aside; for now they had a dangerous enemy, and a possible means to communicate a truce. They both watched as Queen Serenity used her wand to throw more energy at them, and he took Usako's,  _Serenity_ 's, hand in his, squeezing it gently in support. He would let her lead.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and then shouted, "Mother!" she took a few steps forward, her eyes hopeful as she stood beside Sailor Jupiter, her hands balled in fists as she yelled again. "Mother! Stop this, please! This isn't you!"

Queen Serenity did stop, her expression bewildered as she stared at Usako, her eyes taking her in, from her Jewel Tiara dress to her blonde bunned hair. A frown creased the Queen's face as she dropped her wand to her side and strode forward on her pedestal, " **You cannot fool me with your tricks, Earth Kingdom criminals!"**

"This isn't a trick! Mother, it's me! It's Serenity!"

" **You're lying! I know my daughter to be dead, struck down and killed by Prince Endymion, the very villain you are trying to protect!** "

"He isn't a villain! Diana—"

" **Isn't a villain?!"** she interrupted, her bark of laughter making Usako flinch, **"He planned to take my kingdom! Threatened to kill my subjects! Started a war and succeeded in taking my daughter away from me! He and his people are a menace! It is my duty as Queen to destroy them before they can do more harm!** "

Mamoru reeled – how could she have been so misinformed?! The only interest he had had in the moon was Serenity, finding out more about her, learning about her kingdom and her ways – he would never have even  _thought_  about a takeover, let alone consider one!

"But  _you_  started this war!" Usako yelled, shaking with emotion, her hands in fists before her, "The Earth Kingdom did nothing, but still you did not listen! You did not listen to Luna or to Artemis – You did not listen to  _me!_ " she choked and he moved forward to support her – she was trying her hardest, but Queen Serenity was not wavering in the least. Her silver eyes were still hard and murderous, her expression chiseled with anger and hatred despite Serenity's attempts to get through to her. Taking a deep breath, she kept trying. "Diana had you seeing monsters where there were none! Stop this, now, mother! Before it's too late!"

Queen Serenity scowled at the last, then repositioned her hold on her wand. She seemed to have grown tired of their attempts.  **"For attempting to impersonate the Crowned Princess of the Moon Kingdom, you, too, shall die!** _ **Silver Crystal Power!**_ " The wave of energy she called to bear was so great it had a silver sheen, and crashed towards them like a tidal wave. He held the Golden Crystal tightly, readying a shield should the senshi's barrier fail. As the wave struck Sailor Jupiter her image faded drastically, but her crystal shone on, the green beams of light holding steady. He turned to glance at Mars and Mercury; both faired similarly. He turned to warn Usako, but she was gone.

She stood well on the other side of the barrier, and while his heart constricted in terror, she seemed almost unaffected by the energy stream. " **You once told me that we all have a star in our hearts,** " she yelled, her voice full of emotion. " **You said that it was our greatest charge to keep that star shining brightly and use it to banish the darkness! What happened to your shine, mother? …** _What happened to your heart?_ _ **"**_ she put both hands before her, as though preparing to catch something tossed to her.  **"Legendary Silver Crystal, give** _ **me**_ **your strength!"**

Mamoru could scarcely believe what she was attempting. He ran forward, out into the energy field, the Golden Crystal energy battling the silver as he fought to lend Usako his strength. She was attempting to claim the Silver Crystal as hers, taking it from her mother's control and into her own. Energy crackled and tore around him, but he managed to make it to her, and, placing his arms around her shoulders, he called up his power to add to hers. If she could reclaim the Silver Crystal as her own, Queen Serenity's threat would be nullified. But to do so… what would it take for the Silver Crystal to change allegiances? She had the claim to its power – the crystal served as her power gem, too – but it had served the mother faithfully for so long, what could she do to tempt it to her?

Steadily he sent his flow of power into her and prayed that the Silver Crystal would heed her call, that it would somehow recognize that Usako's need was greater, her intentions more deserving of its strength. Queen Serenity screamed in disbelief as the Silver Crystal moved of its own accord, separating from the crescent wand and flying through the air to land in Usako's open palms. In a wash of cool light, she transformed into Princess Serenity. He could sense her now – that soft silver glow he had so desperately missed, and his earlier questions began to answer themselves. All along he had been depending on that glow to find her, trusting his powers more than his own heart, and had been blinded in that she and her mother shared the soul gem, thus as long as her mother held it, he could not sense Serenity for who she truly was. He held her closer, silently apologizing for never having known.

Queen Serenity yelled, putting her palm outward, staring intently at her daughter without a hint of recognition in her eyes, her attention solely on reclaiming the Crystal. Princess Serenity reluctantly held the jewel aloft, " **I, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, using the power of the Moon, seal you away!** " The crystal's glow intensified until it was painful to even look at, its power shooting forward with a pure and intense light; he averted his eyes but kept his energy flow constant, sensing Usako's personal energy fluctuating dangerously. She was putting all of herself into this; if she were to go too far… but that's why he was there. He wouldn't let it take her. " **By the power of this sacred light, you are contained!** "

He fed her energy so fast it felt like it was tearing out of him, pouring into Princess Serenity nearly as quickly as her energy shot outward. He gritted his teeth, pushing it through, willing it to sustain her as the Silver Crystal threatened to drain her dry. He wouldn't let her die, not now. When it was finally over her knees buckled, the energy cutting off instantaneously. She fell to her hands and knees before he could catch her; "Usako!" he called, following her down, placing a hand lightly on her back to keep the energy flowing as he knelt beside her. "Are you alright?" he asked as her dress flickered and faded back into her Jewel Tiara attire; worried, he pulled even more energy, afraid that it still wasn't enough.

"I…" her fingers pressed into the Earth as she shook her head, warm tears falling to the ground. "I couldn't do it." Her voice shook; without needing to think he rested his hand on her arm closest to him and she responded, sitting up hug him, burying her face in his chest as she hugged him fiercely. He held her back, keeping her close; he had no idea what she was going through, but he had to know whether Queen Serenity was… taken care of. She answered his question before he had to ask, sobbing quietly but gaining strength quickly as she pulled away and looked up at him, still shorter despite both of them kneeling, her face red and eyes heartbreakingly sad. "I couldn't do it, Mamochan! I couldn't kill her!"

He nodded and pulled her in to hug her again – she looked like she was about to break. He held her, his mind whirling with possibilities – if she hadn't killed Queen Serenity, where was Queen Serenity now? Where did she escape to? He looked around, scanning the immediate area for any sign of her; Usako stopped him. "She isn't here," she said, her voice reverberating through his chest. He stopped looking around; she continued. "I sealed her away, and sent her to the Moon."

He let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "Then Earth is safe." He barely dared to say it, but once it was out relief flooded through him. However; she was still tense, still holding him tightly, like a lifeline. He held her, waiting for her to talk it out, but she seemed intent on holding it in. "You did the right thing," he coaxed, hoping to convince her, "There was nothing else you could have done. She was too far gone; Diana's words had done their damage." He paused, "You saved the world, Usako; you saved everyone's lives."

She held him for a minute more, then finally nodded and pulled back slowly "Only after you saved mine," she said, and kissed him. As her lips touched his he felt something like a spark, and then it was like he was weightless; there was only Usako, only Serenity… everything else faded away. Her lips, her breathing, her skin against his fingers… her familiar silver shine. He lost himself in her completely; the kiss could have lasted for a moment or for an eternity, and he would not have minded the latter for an instant. It ended when she reluctantly pulled away.

But really he wasn't finished yet. "You saved mine first," he replied, pulling her in for another. She was back – back from the dead, back from the Dark Kingdom, back with him.

He could get used to that.

"Well, well, well!" The kiss ended abruptly as they both pulled back, searching for the source of the interruption. Mamoru nearly fell backwards when he found them – all four of them, walking their way, their weapons held casually or completely gone. "Here we thought he might need help, and what do we find? He's  _macking_ on  _Usagi-chan_!" Midori shouted, his teasing voice light and filled with laughter. They were different – each had changed, their outfits white and gold as opposed to blue-grey, their capes fully unfurled; they were dressed as they had been in their previous lives, mirroring his own transformation. While bruised, they held themselves without obvious pain; he couldn't help the smile on his face. He stood, helping Usako up, and waited for them to close the distance, letting whatever mocking remarks they came up with fly.

"I don't blame him, I guess," Moegi dropped, grasping Mamoru's forearm as Mamoru grabbed his in a familiar handshake from their previous lives. The blond gave him a devious smile, "Usagi-chan is pretty and charming and fun; I'd probably forget all about  _my_  friends if a girl like her wanted to kiss me. Even if they _were_  in  _mortal peril_."

"Are you guys okay?" Usako asked worriedly.

"He's kidding, Usagi-chan," Hanada replied, glancing at Mamoru as he continued, "It got pretty bad for a while there, but with that burst of power not too long ago, we pulled through."

He looked as though he wanted to hear about what had happened, but Mamoru gave him a look that said "later", and instead asked, "What about the army of monsters? Are – did you get  _all_  of them?" He could easily believe it, just based on how much Midori was preening.

"Not all of them," Kobai replied honestly, "A few escaped, but they won't take long to hunt down."

"But we did get  _most_  of them," Moegi added quickly.

"Four of us against an  _army_  and who wins?" Midori nodded conceitedly, "Yeah," he brushed off his left shoulder, "This is Golden Kingdom territory." He casually raised a fist and Moegi bumped it. "Told you we'd win."

Hanada and Kobai rolled their eyes, though the second did crack a smile.

They had all survived. Well, all but… "Helios?" Mamoru asked, tensing immediately.

Hanada nodded, "Resting, but alive."

He let out a breath of relief. If that horse died… well, who else would breathe down his neck every morning? Helios, Hanada, Moegi, Midori, Kobai… they had all made it. But Beryl… he left them, looking for where he thought he saw her fall. Kobai followed, and together they scanned the barren earth and scrub grass until finally he spotted her. He knelt down, his hand hovering above her body, and felt for signs of life. For a moment there was nothing, but then he felt it – a tiny, weak heartbeat. Immediately he sent the healing energy into her. Kobai, beside him, offered the little brunette his finger as a way to help her stand.

"What happened?" Kobai asked as Beryl took the offered help and pulled herself to her feet, her wings beating weakly.

Mamoru answered before she could, glad she was alive despite whatever trouble she caused. "She went looking for the senshi's power gems and brought them back to Usako, then tried to wrest the Silver Crystal away from Queen Serenity."

Kobai's face contorted to a look of absolute incredulity, but before he could voice his admonishments, Beryl spoke up.

"It wasn't the best idea, I admit, but it was the only one I could think of," she looked up at Mamoru, dark eyes holding a sadness that her smile betrayed. "Looks like you did it without me."

"Thank you for trying," he replied, not sure what else to say.

"No problem," she replied, brushing off her skirt before hopping into the air, recovered enough to fly. He didn't like where he was leaving things with her – she risked her life trying to save him, how do you thank someone enough for that? But she didn't seem to want anything else; she was flitting about, looking anywhere  _but_  at him. He sighed. Things between them might get even more strained. Standing, he looked around, too, taking in the barren field, the scraggly forests, the dilapidated castle in the distance… Elysion was going to need some work. And with monsters still on the loose it would take even longer to make things right.

But they wouldn't do that now. He had already decided – Elysion was their responsibility, his most of all, but for now, they would go back to Tokyo and celebrate their victory. They'd hang out in the Crown Arcade, watching as Hanada and Midori competed for top scores, grab a soda at the Fruit Parlor, maybe watch a movie… His eyes found her and a smile tugged at his lips until he realized what she was doing. Kneeling, she was picking up another of the senshi's power gems; Mercury's, based on the position. He went to her, as did Midori and Moegi, Kobai and Hanada following him.

"So… what do we do with the Crystals now?" Midori asked, "Is there some sort of disposal protocol, or…?" he looked over to Hanada, who shot him a dirty look, putting a finger to his lips. "What?" Midori returned defensively.

"You okay, Usagi-chan?" Moegi asked with some confusion, clearly a little uncomfortable with the situation.

She stood and Mamoru put a comforting hand on her back, wanting to show his support as he walked with her. She returned to what had been the center of the square, where her belt lay across the ground, Venus's gem still shining violently within. She sat with her legs bent beneath her, placing Jupiter's, Mars's, and Mercury's crystals carefully in her lap before she reached for the belt and freed Venus's crystal from its containment system. As her fingers grasped its yellow-gold surface the light within danced and orange sparks erupted across its surface.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"Diana," she replied. She reached into her pocket and withdrew the Silver Crystal; behind him he could hear the capes rustle as his friends reacted to its unexpected emergence. The crystal glowed briefly, bathing Venus's crystal in a soft light. Within the gem, the frenzied motion slowed, stabilizing until it finally shone again with a shine similar to the other senshi's gems. Returning the Silver Crystal to her pocket, she held her friend's soul in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears again. "Rest in peace, Venus."

He knelt down with her, not knowing what else to do or say, when suddenly the belt buckle started to glow. He reached forward and turned it over, letting the pale stone shine upward, and near immediately Luna's holographic forum materialized. "Princess!" the cat cried.

"Princess?!" Midori echoed, and was immediately  _shh_ 'd by Hanada.

"Princess, you're alive! And the whole time, right under my nose – I'm such a fool! Serenity, I'm so glad – but what's wrong?"

"Luna," Usako replied, "Venus, and Jupiter, and Mars and Mercury… my  _mother_ , they're all… and you, too, aren't you?"

The cat smiled, "Your mother returned to us not too long ago; she's safe here, resting in the Kingdom she created." Luna paused, watching Usako with love in her eyes, taking her in as though memorizing her. "Don't be sad, Serenity. Or should I say,  _Usagi-chan_?" there was a smile in her voice, "You've been given a second chance at life on Earth,  _live_  it. And if you should ever wish to return to the Moon –"

"But it's not fair!" Usako cried, clenching her open fist. "Venus and the others were given a second chance, too, weren't they?! They had new families and new lives, and Diana ruined them! It's not fair that I should get a second chance and they don't!"

"Usagi-chan…" the cat nudged her head forward, as though bunting Usako across the vast distance between them. "The Illusionary Silver Crystal is strange and powerful, and they say it, too, can perform miracles…"

They must have looked strange, if not downright suspicious, especially now that they were back in their civilian clothes. When Kobai's cousin returned with the car, they could all barely fit; the number of occupants having doubled since the trip over, which had been tight as it was. It was a sign of family that he didn't ask Kobai any questions about the four unconscious girls that barely fit into the backseat of his car, and a testament to his driving skills that they weren't pulled over in the early morning traffic. When, after nearly an hour of quiet groans and complaints about not having any room, they reached the private landing field at the Airport (Midori had called ahead), they managed to squeeze themselves out of the car and get the civilian-clothed girls on their backs to carry to the plane. Usako ran around them, Helios as a "stuffed animal" draped over her shoulder as she adjusted arms and jackets and skirts; Hanada was the only one unencumbered, as Mamoru had previous-life-Sailor Mercury on his back; he didn't know how the blond had managed to get out of carrying one of them, but he didn't mind the weight in the least. Midori had some questioning glances when he approached the plane's stairs with a tall brunette's arms draped across his chest and her sleeping head on his shoulder, but with a small rant about passports and rescues, his crew helped them aboard, settling the girls in with seatbelts on the back row.

As the plane soared easily in the skies, heading east, and the stewardess was taking drink orders, Mamoru turned to Usagi who sat beside him, leaning across him to get a better look at the girls. "So they won't remember anything?"

She shook her head, her blonde hair draping into his lap. "Luna said they probably won't."

"What do you think they're like?" he asked.

Usako looked up at him, then leaned back in her seat, and put her head on his shoulder, her bun softly touching his ear. "They're wonderful. I just know it."

He smiled, putting his arm around her as she took his free hand, interlacing her fingers in his. He enjoyed the feeling for a moment, the sense of completeness that came with being beside her, knowing that the nightmare had ended. Diana was defeated, Queen Serenity sealed away, and the Earth was safe. And not only that, but he had Usako, and Serenity, and his friends, and now hers. Somehow it had all worked out. Elysion would take time to heal, but one day he would restore it to its former glory, and then…

Well, he didn't need to think that far ahead just now.

"Looking forward to more hospital food?" he teased; Usako would have to return there; after her escape the doctors would have to check her out again, and probably keep her under surveillance for a bit.

She made a face. "No, but the longer I stay there, the more I get to know them," she replied, ending with a smile. They had decided that, while transformed, they would drop the four of them off at the hospital. The police could handle it from there, finding their parents and reuniting the girls with the families who had been without them for months. Usako's thumb rubbed the back of his hand nervously. "I hope they like me."

He kissed the top of her head, but Midori, fully reclined in a row of seats in front of them, replied before he could. "They will; it's impossible not to like you, Usagi-chan."

"Are you going to tell them about being Senshi, if they don't remember?" Hanada asked, tapping the back of his pen on a fresh notepad that he had fished out of his bag right after liftoff. Across from Hanada, Kobai was watching closely for her answer.

Usako shook her head. "No," she replied, "They deserve peace." She paused. He smiled, agreeing with her. They all deserved peace; Hanada, Moegi, Midori, Kobai, Helios, Beryl, him and Usako. They could let the past rest and simply enjoy the present, with school and clubs and discussions over drinks in a café. Usako cocked her head thoughtfully, adding, "And video games. And ice cream, and cake, and crepes." He chuckled. She yawned, "By the way, how long is this flight?"

"A few hours," he replied.

In minutes most of the plane was sleeping. Usako was asleep on his shoulder, breathing softly, one hand still holding his. Midori was snoring softly, his long and curly brown hair draped down to the floor of the plane, his right foot propped up on the wall beside him. Moegi slept quietly, his forehead pressed against the shaded window beside him; across from him, Hanada went in and out of sleep, jotting something down whenever he stirred. Only he and Kobai were really awake, and Mamoru was fading fast. Kobai smiled at him, and he smiled back. They didn't need to say anything.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> =D SO THAT WAS THE VERY FIRST FANFICTION I'VE EVER COMPLETED!
> 
> … but it's not over yet. O_o Because this whole story was told from Mamoru's perspective, I feel that a lot of stuff was left out – conversations that he wasn't part of, events he wasn't there for, explanations and thought processes he wasn't privy to – and so I don't think the story is truly finished. And then we have the whole Silver Millennium to play with! And what happens afterwards?! Will there be a Chibi-Usa, or a Chibi-Mamo?! What is their future like in the New Golden Kingdom? Is Nehelenia still around? Pharaoh 90? Who knows! =D I certainly don't; not yet, anyway.
> 
> But I can tell you that I've got powerups planned for the boys, so those'll probably show up in one form or fashion, either in the little one-shots that I plan on posting after this story ((Yes, It'll be marked as completed, yet I'll still occasionally update it with new one shots )) or even as a whole sequel.
> 
> Anyway! Thank you for sticking around until the very end! Thank you for your follows, favorites, and reviews! They kept me going and enthused about this project!
> 
> Immediately next for Cardinal King is a few little one-shots I have already started (or finished, haha) and editing previous chapters – I've noticed a few grammar mistakes and wrong-words (. I trust the red and green Microsoft office squigglies too much), and would really appreciate it if people sent me what they've noticed, too!. ^_^ Editing, woo!
> 
> Thank you, everyone!
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Kyralih.


	21. Afterword

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just after Chapter 20...

# Z is for Zenith

Mamoru stepped carefully around his broken table, edged between a cabinet with broken plates and a splintered chair, and touched down on living room carpet, where he warily resisted the urge to start cleaning up the cutlery and shattered glasses strewn across the floor. He tried to push the thought of the fight that had caused the destruction from his mind, but it wasn’t easy. 

 

As soon as he had entered the building, the supervisor had stopped him and berated him for the incredible noise from the previous day – a lot of his neighbours had been disturbed by the commotion, and he should really be more considerate of others if he wanted to remain a tenant of the building. He had briefly considered blaming it on a break-in, but cast the thought aside; as nice as it might have been to have financial assistance reoutfitting his kitchen and some of his living room, he didn’t want the police looking into it and possibly linking Midori and Usagi to the destruction. Instead, he had apologized, stated it would never happen again, and went on his way. 

 

And now, just glancing back into the kitchen would remind him of how they had found Midori. Seeing the couch out of the corner of his eye as he passed it reminded him of what Midori had said, and the picture it had painted of Usagi, possessed as Jewel Tiara. In the end they had made it – they had, against the odds, saved the world, but the journey had been a hard one.

 

Mamoru made it through the living room and into his bedroom, grabbed a bag, and started packing to spend the night elsewhere – Hanada and Midori had offered; he’d take one of them up on it. As he was in the restroom, packing his toothbrush, a voice startled him.

 

_So this is where you disappeared to._ Mamoru’s lip twitched up in a half-smile involuntarily as a small pegasus popped into existence just over the toilet. Helios threw his head, rearranging his mane as he regarded him with a sunstone-hued eye, _Everyone had been so sure you returned to the hospital to visit with Usagi-chan._

 

“She should rest,” he explained with a shrug, packing other toiletries, “She and the other girls have been answering questions from detectives ever since they woke up again.” 

 

_So you did go and see her again._ Helios smugly replied.

 

Mamoru ignored the jab and led his bag through the door to his bedroom, where he packed pajamas, some clothing, and threw his bag on his bed to cover his school uniform with a dry-cleaning bag, all the while remembering how nervous and excited Usako had been when he popped by before heading back here; the detectives were annoying, but she was following the other girls’ leads with the answers – they had remembered nothing. They had faint recollections of falling down in public, and hazy images of a wide-open field, but that was it. Usagi was fairly certain that was all they remembered, honestly, except she believed they might recognize each other from somewhere. He had left soon after, noticing that ex-Venus was striking up a conversation with ex-Jupiter and knowing Usako deeply wanted to meet them again. 

 

He knew they would love her; he hoped they would never have to reawaken as Senshi again. They deserved peace and a normal life, free from whatever terrible memories awaited them should transforming prove to cure them of their current amnesia. 

 

_You’re going back to school tomorrow, then?_ Helios asked as Mamoru slung his overnight bag over his shoulder, and then his uniform on top of that, gripping the hanger head with the duffle straps. 

 

He reached down and picked up his school briefcase, a brow quirking at Helio’s question. “Why wouldn’t I?”

 

_You could stand to take a few days to rest, too, you know._ Helios replied, gliding to keep pace. _Midori’s practically declared he’s staying home for the rest of the week, and is working on getting the others to join him._

 

Mamoru smiled, “And what does Kobai have to say about that?” Really, practically anyone else’s name could have fit there, though; then again, Hanada had been known to skip school on occasion, so maybe not...

 

_He looked almost agreeable._

 

Both of Mamoru’s brows raised – Kobai didn’t seem the type; Kunzite definitely hadn’t been, but then, they weren’t their past selves.

 

He locked the door behind them, and glanced down the hallway to make sure they were alone before he asked, “Has Beryl come back yet?”

 

_No,_ Helios replied gustily, _She intends to stay in Elysion and do what she can to repair and cleanse it._

 

“Should I…” Mamoru trailed off, not exactly knowing how to phrase the question, just as he didn’t know what he would say to her if Helios said he should. He had hurt her feelings – without meaning to, mostly – and nothing about their relationship had changed. She had nearly died for him – twice, if you count transforming herself into a fairy and sacrificing an afterlife on the off-chance he and his friends would be reborn – but that didn’t mean he returned her romantic affections, and he didn’t know how else he could tell her that would make her feel any better.

 

_No,_ Helios replied, to Mamoru’s relief, _I think it’s best to let her be for a while._

 

They started down the stairs together before Mamoru asked his next question, honestly a little nervous about this one, too. “So, what are you going to do now?”

 

Helios tossed his main irritably, _What, you think you could get rid of me so easily?_ He whirled around on him, red eyes flashing in playful irritation, _Prince Endymion, you have been reborn without court or council but with the ability to change this planet, for better or for worse. My job as your chief advisor is only just beginning. There is no way I could leave you now._

 

“So now you’ve promoted yourself to ‘chief advisor’, huh? On whose authority?” he teased.

 

_On my own, as the High Priest of Elysion._ Helios sniffed.

 

“Oooh, so you’re keeping that title, too?”

 

_It’s still mine. Chief Advisor is simply an addition to my previous duties._

 

“I don’t know, that seems like a lot for one person.”

 

_It’ll be tough, but I’ll manage somehow._

 

Mamoru grinned. “I’m sure you will,” he replied, in all honesty. They reached the door to the stairwell and he paused, his hand on the handle. Helios drifted into place on his shoulder, arranging himself as a stuffed toy – something neither of them particularly enjoyed, but at the moment he preferred that to going without his company. “Helios,” he said before opening the door, “Thank you. For everything.”

 

Helios flicked his tail so the long silver hair smacked Mamoru on the back of his head. _It’s not over yet, but you’re welcome._

 

He opened the door and almost ran into a young boy on the other side. He excused himself, ignoring the look Helios was getting from the red-eyed child, and they went on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note! This is a version two, changing a few things around from the original afterword; it's actually the "final" one shot in the Cardinal King Alphabet series, and connects the first arc to the second. ^^' While the story is finished for now, please look forward to sequels in the future! If you would like more stories and glimpses into the Cardinal King world, click on the **Cardinal King collection**! I've added in a few one-shots from the story told from others' perspectives; I'm eventually hoping to finish 26 of them to really flesh out the world and the behind-the-scenes stuff that was going on.
> 
> The second arc, which will include characters both new and familiar and concepts/situations from other arcs of Sailor Moon, will be coming out sporadically over the next few months, and I hope you stick with me! I'm still trying to decide whether to add the next arc onto this story (Chapter 22+, etc), or make it it's own story and link it through the Cardinal King Collection - if you feel strongly either way, or have done sequels and such before online, I'd love some input!
> 
> Anyway, thank you again for reading Cardinal King! ♥


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